The Love of a Champion
by Adam123456789098
Summary: After finding her mate Fleur decides on a plan to win the girl over, but when her mates friend is inexplicably entered into the Triwizard Tournament himself, Fleur's plan goes out the window as she decides on a different tactic that starts with helping Harry Potter through the Tournament. Femslash! G!PFleur, Non-Voldemort AU
1. Chapter 1

_**Hermione**_

We were all seated in the Great Hall having been herded inside like cattle at a much faster pace than we ever had been before for some reason. I groaned as Ron was once again harping on about the Quidditch World Cup and the fact that the Bulgarian team lost.

"I mean, Viktor caught the Snitch! How could they lose?" The redhead complained.

I rolled my eyes at the boy, "Yeah he caught the Snitch, but aside from that, they were only able to score one goal on Ireland who scored seventeen. Ireland was just far superior to the Bulgarian's," I explained for the umpteenth time.

"But still-"

I was saved by Ron's constant complaints by Professor Dumbledore standing up and moving behind the large podium placed in front of the teacher's table. He looked over the vast array of students before him as he waited for the room to become silent, which didn't take very long as the man's presence was one of the most calming I'd ever encountered.

"Now that we have all settled in and all the new students have been sorted into their houses, I have an announcement to make." As the Headmaster continued to speak the large double doors to the Great Hall opened slightly, and Mr. Filch squeezed through the gap and started to run down the hall. Thanks to the vast expanse it took the groundskeeper a good half a minute to get to the other side of the room even while running.

"This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen to host, a legendary event. The Triwizard Tournament." At the mention of the Tournament, the room erupted into a soft murmur of surprise and excitement over the competition. "The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete, now let be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint of heart. But more on that later. For now, please join me in a welcoming, the lovely ladies, of Beauxbatons Academy and their Head Mistress, Madame Maxime."

The ornate double doors opened revealing a small group of female students dressed in light blue dresses that finished just above the knee. A short cape of the same colour was draped over the shoulders and tied together at the front by a thin blue ribbon. The hats they wore, also the same shade of blue as the dress, was pointed very slightly at the top and I had to wonder what the point of having such a small point was. Their legs were covered with simple black stockings, and each girl wore a set of light blue high heels.

As I watched the girls walk down the middle of the room, I couldn't help but feel insecure, I usually didn't care how I looked compared to others but these girls, they were something else. Each one was more beautiful than the last, especially as they walked with their perfect posture, pronouncing their apparently perfect bodies. The girls sighed, for what was the third time, before a kaleidoscope of light blue butterflies fluttered out from between them.

"Blimey, that's one big woman," One of the guys sitting across from me said as Madame Maxime walked by, watching over her students with a look of pride etched deep in her features.

I was quickly distracted from the large woman as the Beuxbatons girls were finishing up their routine with one of them bowing low in the middle of all the others, hand in hand with a younger girl dressed in a silver leotard. I felt my heart start to beat a little faster as I looked into the girl's dark blue eyes. The girl's eyes locked with my own and I quickly looked away blushing deeply as I fazed out everyone around me for a few moments to collect my thoughts once more. Once I had come back to the world of the living Dumbledore was once again standing by the podium, the cheering had subsided while everyone waited for the Headmaster to continue.

"And now I hope you'll all show the same appreciation for our friends from the North. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master, Igor Karkaroff."

Everyone in the Great Hall turned towards the sound of the doors opening again and watched as a small group of boys made their way into the large room. They swung around their staff's before hitting them on the floor creating sparks, and I couldn't help but wonder why the school felt they needed to make such a grand entrance. I just shrugged at though as I took in the much more practical uniform that the Durmstrang students were wearing. Their simple blood-red robes were covered by a thick cape made from the fur of various animals for warmth.

The display from the boys was, of course, finished with a flashy sprinkling of magic as one of the students blew at the end of his staff summoning a fire that was magically crafted to be the shape of a bird. The fire-bird flew around the teacher's table before dissipating into nothing. Karkaroff and Professor Dumbledore embraced in a quick, friendly hug as the two drew nearer to one another and chuckled as they greeted each other.

I watched in silence as the two groups of new-comers found their pre-designated seats, the Durmstrang students sat with Slytherin and the Beauxbatons students sitting with Hufflepuff. Notably, I watched as the students from Beauxbatons stayed standing until their Headmistress had taken a seat on the right of Professor Dumbledore. I also saw that Hagrid couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the large woman and I couldn't help but grin at the sight.

It took more than a few moments for the students to settle once again and in that time, Mr Filch led a small group of men into the Great Hall. The men carried a large, intricately decorated spire down onto the small wooden stage that usually held the podium that Professor Dumbledore used to address us in the Great Hall. With the spire placed precisely in the middle of the stage Mr. Filch promptly shooed the four other men before stepping off to the side and allowing Professor Dumbledore to stand by the spire.

"Your attention please, I'd like to say a few words," The Headmaster spoke with a seriousness that I had never heard from the older man. "Eternal Glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard tournament. But along the way you will face three, extremely dangerous tasks, the possibility of death will be not only present but abundantly apparent to not only the Champions themselves but also to those who watch. For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

The aforementioned man took to the small wooden stage and stood before the smattering of students with a serious look on his face, "After due consideration, the rest of the Ministry and I have concluded that, for their safety and yours, no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament and that decision is final."

I couldn't believe my ears when it seemed that the entirety of the Great Hall erupted into jeers at the announcement, especially when the decision made absolute sense to me. I just shook my head at the morons that wanted to get themselves killed trying to take on deadly challenges when they were nowhere near ready to take them on.

The jeering went on for longer than I expected before Professor Dumbledore placed his wand against his throat, "Silence!" The word was elongated and loud, but his voice still seemed to be of the same softness that he always spoke with. Either way, it had the desired effect, causing everyone to shut their mouths so we could continue through this extended welcome.

Mr. Crouch took a step back as Professor Dumbledore waved his wand at the large spire, the gold that it was made of seemed to melt down into nothing and revealed a sizeable wooden goblet. Whispers and murmurs broke out amongst the students questioning what goblet was and what it would be used for. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes as the questions being asked were obviously going to be answered in just a moment.

A blue flame appeared above the goblet; it's flames dancing in a wind that wasn't there, "The Goblet of Fire." Professor Dumbledore stated, "Anyone wishing to participate in the Tournament need only write their name on a piece of parchment and place it into the fire before the dinner feast tomorrow night. However, you should not do this lightly; I can not understate the danger you will be in if you decide to enter the Tournament. And if you are chosen, there is no turning back. As from this moment the Triwizard Tournament has begun."

With that, the feast was finally started and I quickly fixed myself a small plate of chicken and side of vegetable. I glanced at Ron and saw that he was staring at the Slytherin table, jealousy clear in his blue eyes. I looked back at the Slytherin table and where he was looking.

"Why are you staring at the Durmstrang students?" I asked in confusion as I turned back to Ron, his plate still empty.

"Isn't that obvious?" Ron asked like it should be obvious, the redhead huffed at the blank look on my face, "Viktor Krum is one of them, and the damn Slytherins get to sit with him," Ron muttered before finally grabbing a mountain of food to distract himself.

"Wow, he's just Quidditch player," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"He's not just a 'Quidditch player' Hermione; he was the seeker of the Bulgarian team!" Ron said with pride.

I rolled my eyes once again, "Oh, okay, so he's the one that ended the World Cup by catching the Snitch when his team was down by one-hundred and sixty points, so his team had no way to win. I see you're right what a great guy," I said knowing it would get a rise out of my friend.

Ron glared at me, "There is more to it than that," he said although he didn't elaborate.

"What about Harry? He was able to catch the Snitch on his first year at Hogwarts, isn't that commendable?"

Harry blushed a little at the compliment, but I could see that his mind was pre-occupied as he was once again staring at Cho Chang sitting at the table across from ours. Ron waved in front of the boy's face, but even that wasn't enough to get his complete attention as all he did was utter the words, "I'm listening."

"Just talk to her Harry," I said as I reached across the table and pinched his arm to gather his attention.

"What?" He asked as he finally turned back to his friends, rubbing the spot I had pinched.

"I said just talk to her; it's a little creepy when all you do is stare at her all the time," I scolded the dark-haired boy.

"She always smiles when she notices," Harry said in his own defence.

"Which is exactly why you should talk to her," Ron chimed in from Harry's side, although I was sure Ron wasn't one to talk, he's never spoken to anyone he'd fancied in the past.

"If you don't someone else might and then where would you be?" I asked, hoping to push Harry in the right direction, even if it was just by a little bit.

"I'll get there," Harry mumbled causing Ron to snicker at his friend. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, but I was lucky, I still hadn't met anyone that made me feel that way.

_**Fleur**_

I was sat at the Hufflepuff table with my fellow students and my little sister; I had just finished praising Gabrielle's performance and gushing about how beautiful she was. It didn't seem to matter what was going through my mind; I could always push it all aside when it came to my little sister; at least, I thought I could. But the entire time I was chatting with Gabrielle, hell, ever since I stepped foot into Hogwarts' Great Hall I had been distracted.

As the doors opened, I could feel something, someone, someone that I didn't think I'd find for a long time. As I walked down the length of the Great Hall and between the students, I couldn't stop my eyes from flitting about the room, searching out the presence that was undeniable. But my efforts were in vain until I reached the front of the Great Hall and started to bow for the students before me. That's when my eyes met with a brunette that was sitting at the Gryffindor table; her chocolate eyes drew me in in the split second that they were connected and I found myself falling into a vast emptiness.

I shuddered as the split second lasted almost an eternity in my mind, only stopping as the girl turned away, her unruly mess of brunette hair swaying ever so gently with the turn of her head. I sighed in content as I remembered the way it felt to lock eyes with the girl that had suddenly and dangerously become everything to me. I felt as my heart beat picked up once again as I sought the girl out, now knowing where she was sitting it only took me a few moments before my eyes landed on the familiar head of brunette hair. She was busy talking with two boys sitting across from her about something or another, and I couldn't stop the pang of jealousy that flared within me.

As I sat and watched the girl converse with the two boys, it took all of my strength not to stand and sprint over to the girl. I wanted nothing more than to whisk her off her feet and take her away from any other person that could even have a remote chance of being competition. Suddenly I was thrilled that I was only a quarter Veela and I wondered just how my mother was able to keep calm at the sight of my father considering the Veela in her was stronger than in me.

A tapping on my right shoulder took me back to the present, and to the miniature carbon copy of myself, I looked into my sisters questioning eyes and smiled, "What is it, Gabrielle?" I asked, having decided that I should speak mostly English since I was at an English-speaking school.

"You were staring at someone," Gabrielle said as she glanced at the Gryffindor that I was staring at, "Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "No reason in particular," I said nonchalantly, "I just thought she seemed pretty."

Gabrielle nodded at the statement before looking back at the Gryffindor, "I agree," She said with a smile, I knew she was just copying me, but it still felt good. At least it did until the possessive Veela in me tried to surface, and I had to catch myself before I snarled at my little sister over nothing.

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on eating, "Hey Fleur?" My sister spoke up once again. I looked over to her and could see that she was worried about something. I gave her as much of my attention as I could, cursing as I couldn't seem to get the fact that my mate was sitting across from me out of my mind when my sister needed me.

"What is it, Gabrielle?" I cooed, brushing my fingers through the girl's platinum blonde hair softly.

"I just… Do you have to enter the Tournament? Madame Maxime and that old man kept saying how dangerous it was going to be, and the Ministry isn't allowing people under seventeen to participate cementing the fact that it is, in fact, very dangerous."

I pulled Gabrielle into my side and ran a hand up and down her back as her lithe body trembled, her small arms gripped at the cape at my back as she held onto me tightly. "I know it's scary to think about Gabi, but I promise you that, if I am chosen to enter the Tournament then above all, I will keep myself safe. It doesn't matter how close I get to winning, if it looks like I'm not going to be able to stay safe then I'll stop trying to win and instead keep myself from getting hurt, okay?"

Gabrielle nodded her head against me before she pulled away with a satisfied smile, I, however, was being eaten away from the inside. I hated lying to my sister like that, but I knew if I had a chance of winning, I was going to take it, not for my school, not for my family, not for myself or for the glory that would come with winning the Triwizard Tournament. But for her, I looked back at my mate sitting at the Gryffindor table and laughing at something the redheaded boy across from her had said. For her I would win, if selected I will show the Gryffindor what I'm truly made of and then ask her if she would go out with me.

I smiled a little as the plan set in my mind, I would win the Tournament, and then I would win the girl, it had to work. I once again focused on my food, glancing at the Gryffindor every now and again, as I allowed my mind to wonder about what the girl was like. I knew it didn't really matter, whatever she was like I would love her all the same, she was made for me after all, even if she didn't know it.

The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, and I soon found myself alone in the tiny room that had been assigned to me on the carriage we had used to get to Hogwarts. I was sitting on my bed wearing the powder blue, silk nightgown that I always wore to bed and was quietly brushing my hair. The smell of vanilla with a hint of cinnamon wafted off of my skin, and I made a mental note to thank my mother for buying such a wonderful smelling soap for me to use.

With my hair brushed, I pulled out my diary and ripped out a small square of paper using the edge of the small desk in my room to make sure the edges were perfectly straight and neat. I inked my quill and pressed the feather down onto the piece of parchment, writing out my name in the most elegant, delicate handwriting that I could. I held the paper before me and smiled at the results, "Beautiful," I sighed before placing the piece of parchment down onto the desk.

I reinked my quill, pulled my diary onto my lap and started to write on the same page that I had torn the paper from.

_1__st__ of September 1994_

_Today was a fantastic day, quite frankly it was the best day of my life so far, I saw _her, _I found my mate. Although I am yet to meet her, am yet even to find out her name I am giddy with excitement. Just from looking at her head of untamed hair, the smiles she was giving to other people, the hue of her hazel eyes and the pink of her perfect lips I found myself completely mesmerised._

_And now that I am thinking about the girl, I am finding it hard to concentrate, but I know that I need to chronicle the event for when I grow old, and my memory is no longer what it is now._

_When our eyes met for the first time it was like life came into perfect focus, the colours and sounds around me seemed brighter, even cheerier. For that brief moment that her hazel eyes were locked with mine, I felt as if I was falling, falling into an endless abyss of beauty. But I wasn't afraid; I wasn't afraid because that beauty had instantly become everything I ever wanted, everything I always needed without knowing so._

_But even with all this joy came something I wasn't expecting, I can no longer focus on just one subject as I used too. Throughout the night, I've found myself thinking solely about the Gryffindor that has me so enraptured. When my sister needed me, I wanted nothing more than to give her my full attention but I couldn't, my mind was always preoccupied with the girl… By my mate._

_I could hear the fear in Gabrielle's voice, but I still couldn't focus only on her, that's not right… Is it? Is this what it means to have a mate? Is everything going to be second to her now? Even if Gabrielle is dying? If my parents are dying?_

_Great, now I'm shivering, my teeth are chattering, my fear is skyrocketing as the enormity of the situation is starting to become clearer…_

I stopped writing as my shaking hand was quickly becoming useless, and took three deep breaths to calm myself down before returning to my diary again. I looked at the words that had tumbled out of me and onto the page, I quickly picked up my quill once again.

_No, that's not all there is, the situation is becoming bigger, and yes, scarier, but it's also becoming better, it has to be. I've been afraid these past two years about the possibility of never finding my mate but she's here, she's real now. These feelings are because I've just found her, my mother told me as such when she was telling me about the whole mating process._

_Everything is just imbalanced right now…_

I looked down at my diary and wondered why I felt the need to write out the explanation but quickly found myself writing once more.

_Enough about insecurities, enough about fears, today is a miraculous day; today I found my mate, today I saw the girl that I was one day going to marry. One day I will be waiting for that beautiful brunette at the end of a long walkway filled with friends and family, I will be wearing the finest silk dress that money can by while I wait for the brunette to walk down the long corridor. I'll smile at her as she slowly walks, all the while wishing she would just throw tradition out the window and break out into a full-on sprint and embrace me in a loving hug._

_It _will _happen, but until that day you must be strong, the future will hold many twists and turns. Maybe even some pain and heartbreak sprinkled in, but our time will come, and I will be waiting patiently for it._

I closed my diary with a smile on my face, what I had written down had opened up a few questions about my future, but I was confident I could win the girl over. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, I didn't want to sound narcissistic, but I knew I was an attractive woman, I could see it myself. But I knew that that probably wasn't going to be enough, and if it was then did I really want the girl to be my mate.

I closed my eyes and pushed those worries aside. Instead I chose to picture the young Gryffindor in all her beauty. I felt myself starting to get excited once again when all I was doing was picturing the girls face. I didn't know what she looked like under her robes and I didn't want to guess the amazingness that sure lay just beneath the fabric, but still, I could feel a fire igniting in my core.

I walked backwards towards my bed and fell back onto the soft mattress the instant my I felt it against the backs of my legs. My head was swimming with lust as I ran my hands down over my breasts, my hard nipples poking into my hands as they brushed over my chest. I moaned softly as I allowed my left hand to squeeze my left breast softly.

My right hand didn't stop, however, and quickly found its place resting at the base of the hard shaft that rested just above my vagina. I ran my hand up the length of the shaft, biting my lower lip as shocks of pleasure ran up and down my spine. I opened my mouth as if to speak a name, but no noise escaped my lips as my hand slowly moved up and down my shaft, the feeling of the silk gown I was wearing adding to the pleasure I was giving myself as my shaft had worked its way out of my panties.

My mouth flapped uselessly as I pushed myself onwards, the only sounds escaping my body were gasps and soft moans of pleasure but what I wanted was to say a name. All I wanted at that point, even more than to feel the release that was building in my core, was to say the name of the Gryffindor that I had mated too. But I couldn't, I didn't get to meet her, and there was no way I was going to hear her name from someone else before I heard it from her, so I hadn't bothered asking anyone during dinner.

My left hand abandoned my breasts and quickly trailed its way down the left side of my body until it reached the hem of my silk nightgown and started to pull the light blue garment up over my smooth, white thighs. My right hand joined the motion for but a moment and the cool night air embraced the throbbing shaft above my vagina. Missing the contact, I immediately restarted my movements with my right hand while my left ghosted over the smooth skin of my thighs and I pulled the light blue panties I was wearing down, so they were stretched out between my knees.

I brought my left hand back up between my thighs and started rapidly rubbing my fingers against the moistness of my vagina, pushing myself entirely over the edge. Ropes of white liquid shot forth from the tip of my shaft as the knot that had been building in my core was unravelled in an instant, and I wanted nothing more at that point than to moan out the name that I knew was going to be the most beautiful word that I had ever heard.

But I was unable to say her name, and as I came down from the high of my orgasm, I felt insurmountable loneliness and felt a sting in the back of my eyes. I quickly pulled my panties back up and pulled my nightgown back down over my thighs, crawled under my blankets and hugged myself as I felt the surge of tears spring forth and I cried myself to sleep for the first time in my life.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N **Sorry this has taken so long, I've been a little depressed recently, and it has taken all of my motivation to work on writing out of me. But I have been making changes, like eating properly and staring at the television during all my free time so hopefully, I can get things back on track. I don't think updates will start coming in more often, or maybe they still be very irregular, but I hope with time I'll be able to fully get back into the swing of things.

_**Fleur**_

I was sitting back in Hogwarts' Great Hall with the rest of the students; there was a great buzz of excitement throughout the room as the students ate and discussed who they thought was going to be selected for the Triwizard Tournament. My plate sat, filled with various foods that were left untouched, I knew that I should eat something but I was nervous, and a little upset. It had been about twenty-four hours since I'd found my mate, but I was yet to even say hi to her. But more than that, I was nervous for the upcoming announcements, I was certain that I would be chosen as the Beauxbatons Champion, and if I wasn't chosen, then I'd need to find a new way to impress my Mate.

I sighed as I lifted a piece of braised beef to my lips and popped the morsel into my mouth; the food seemed to have no flavour at all as I chewed and swallowed it. My inner struggle didn't go unnoticed for long, and I felt a soft tapping on my arm, I knew straight away that it was my sister, so I turned to her with a smile.

"What is it, Gabrielle?" I asked, keeping my tone light and happy.

Gabrielle frowned slightly, "What's wrong? I can tell that something is off with you and that fake smile is not assuaging me."

I gave up my false smile and leaned in close to my sister, so I could whisper directly into her ear, not wanting anyone else to over here us, "Reste calme, mais mon compagnon est ici." I chose to speak in my native tongue just in case someone _could _hear as this would limit the number of people that would be able to understand.

I watched as my sisters face lit up with an exuberant smile, "Really? She's really here? She goes to Hogwarts?" My sister spoke a little louder than I had, but thankfully the rest of the table was too busy chatting amongst themselves to hear.

I raised my finger to my lips nonetheless, while I didn't hide the fact that I was a Veela, I didn't flaunt it either, so I could avoid the stigma about my race being promiscuous just because how we have evolved to attract people. Luckily for my sister and me, we were only one-quarter Veela, so the glamour that typically affected ordinary humans is much more diminished. But I still noted that plenty of the students glanced in my direction or watched me with their eyes as I walked passed.

I had also noticed that prolonged exposure to the glamour seemed to have different effects on people. While some people seemed to develop an immunity to the glamour over time, others seemed to get entranced further and start trying harder to impress me. Thankfully that is as far as they've gone which means I have some steep competition in getting into the Tournament as many of the girls from Beauxbatons were here because they had studied hard to impress me.

"Who is she?" Gabrielle asked, her eyes scanning the students in the vicinity, "What's her name? What's she like?"

My sister kept rattling off question after question, "Do you remember the girl that I said was pretty at dinner last night?" I asked my sister quietly.

Gabrielle nodded in response, her mouth widening in a knowing smile, "So that's why you were staring at her last night. So, do you know her name?"

I shook my head sadly, lifting a piece of beef to my lips and chewing on it to try and distract myself from the pain flaring in my chest. I couldn't dwell for too long however as silence descended upon the room. I looked towards the Goblet of Fire and noticed that Professor Dumbledore was standing beside it, waiting patiently for the few remaining murmurs of the last students yet to realize he was waiting to speak.

With the room now silent, Professor Dumbledore began to speak in a soft, soothing voice, "It's time to announce this year's participants in the Triwizard Tournament. Should I call you're name I ask you to stand and quickly make you're way up to the front and through the door on the right-hand side of the Great Hall. I must ask that you move quickly after hearing your name, so we can continue to call the rest of the names."

As the Headmaster stopped speaking, the blue fire of the goblet started to dance a little more wildly and began to change from blue to red. As it did so, something shot out from the fire, two meters into the sky before slowly and delicately floating down into the Headmaster's awaiting hand.

"The Durmstrang champion is… Victor Krum." A round of applause erupted within the Great Hall as Viktor stood from his place at the Slytherin table taking, in my opinion, much longer than he should have to get moving. Deciding instead to soak up the applause and accepting the praise he was receiving from his classmates.

After a brief period, the young man finally made his way to the small door that Professor Dumbledore had mentioned earlier and disappeared through it. The applause died down as the next piece of Parchment was shot out into the air; the entire room waited on bated breath for the Headmaster to read the name printed on the piece of parchment.

"The Champion from Hogwarts is… Cedric Digory." Unsurprisingly the applause for the Hogwarts Champion was much more significant than what Viktor received, and I knew that it was greater than what My school's champion would receive. Cedric, much like Viktor, took longer than necessary to make his way to the door behind the Professor's table.

With Cedric gone that just left the Champion for Beauxbatons to be called, I fidgeted in my seat as my nerves started to get the better of me. I reached for my sister's hand and clasped it tightly, hoping that the familial comfort would help to calm my nerves. Gabrielle squeezed my hand back comfortingly, and I felt myself calm down slightly, but just as quickly as I had calmed down, my pulse sped up again as the next name was shot from the top of the Goblet of Fire.

The entire Great Hall became silent as the piece of paper floated daintily into the Headmasters hand, all of time seemed to slow down as Professor Dumbledore opened the parchment to read the name inscribed on the inside of it.

"And finally, the last, but certainly not least, Champion from Beauxbatons is…" As the Professor paused for dramatic effect, I couldn't help silently cursing as I willed the man to read the name more quickly. "Fleur Delacour," Another round of applause erupted in the Great Hall, and I found myself moving almost on auto-pilot as I rose from my chair. Recovering quickly, I started to walk away from my seat and my classmates, but I only made it a few steps before I heard my name called from behind me.

"Fleur…" I turned around at the sound of my sister's strained voice, concern etched into my features, when out of nowhere I felt the little head of platinum blond ram into my chest, knocking off my feet and sending the two of us to the ground. I ignored the gasps and few sounds of laughter around us as I returned my sisters hug, running my hand up and down the girls back for comfort, as we lay on the cold hard floor of the Great hall.

"Gabrielle, I need to go," I told my sister in a comforting voice, "Don't worry about me. I'll be careful okay? So please let me up, we're holding everything up," Gabrielle nodded and acquiesced to my request allowing me to walk towards the door I needed to get too.

Professor Dumbledore gazed at me with soft, knowing smile, "We'll make sure she is well looked after when you're participating in the Challenge's," The Headmaster spoke as I walked passed and I smiled gratefully at the old wizard.

Just as I walked passed the Headmaster and Goblet of Fire, however, the blue flames started to dance wildly once again, everyone stared at the Goblet, confused by what was happening before the blue fire once again changed colour, spewing forth another piece of parchment.

The Headmaster caught this piece march the same as all the rest, his brow furrowing as he read the name that was written on the paper. He looked out over the vast crowd of students, his eyes settling on someone within the crowd itself.

"The fourth champion… From Hogwarts… Is Harry Potter."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves as the young man abruptly stood from his spot, his eyes locked with Professor Dumbledores. The Professor motioned for the boy to move towards him, and intern me; I watched as my mate watched the boy leave with concern and I knew they had to be close in some way. I felt myself begin to growl as my jealousy got the better of me, Professor Dumbledore looked back at me, his eyes imploring something of me as he whispered once again.

"Miss Delacour, I know how you feel, but please, do what you can to keep him safe, he is not ready for this," I could hear the almost desperation in the man's soft voice, and I nodded without hesitation. I also wasn't surprised to find out that the man knew about how I felt as Madame Maxime had advised all of us about how strong a wizard the Headmaster was, especially when it came to Legilimency.

I nodded to the old wizard in response to his question and waited at my spot for the dark-haired boy to make his way up to the front. As I waited, I took the opportunity to scan the stunned faces of the students in the Great Hall. My mate still looked concerned for her friend, so I quickly turned away, not wanting the unwarranted jealousy to gain a hold within me.

Harry had quickly traversed towards the center of the room, locking eyes with Professor Dumbledore, seemingly pleading for some kind of explanation or reassurance. The old Wizard said nothing however and nodded slightly in the direction of the door, the dark-haired boy then started to trudge towards the aforementioned door. I quickly took up a place by the boy's side and rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, searching for something comforting to say.

"Everything will be okay, Mr. Potter, you can do this," The boy just nodded solemnly at my words as we disappeared from the Great Hall and down a flight of stairs, to large gate doors sat open. The passage led into a spacious room that was filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of trophies and accolades, all presumably won by Hogwarts students and left on display for people to see. On one end of the room sat a fireplace where the two other Champions were discussing something amongst themselves.

Harry tripped over his own two feet as we approached the two, effectively silencing the two young men who turned and upon seeing Harry, they each grew a sneer on their faces. Cedric stayed silent, but I could see in his eyes the young man was somewhat fuming over the fact the boy had joined them. Viktor was more or less the same, however after he got over the shock of seeing a second Hogwarts student, his face hardened into stone, not giving away any emotions.

Before anyone said anything about the situation, our attention was drawn to the staircase leading into the Trophy room. Professor Dumbledore was leading the way down in his ever-calm manner while a significant clumping of other Professor's walked irritably behind the older man, none of them willing to step around the Headmaster nor speak their mind about his slow, deliberate movements.

"Harry Potter," The Professor's voice was calm and soothing as he addressed the young boy, "Did you put your name in the Goblet Fire?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes burrowed into Harry's searching his mind for the truth.

"No, sir," Was Harry's quick, almost muted response.

"Did you ask one of the older students to do it for you?"

"No, sir."

"Do you know if anyone did it without your expressed permission?"

"No, sir."

"He's lying," Viktor spoke up from his place by the fire, "Why would he tell the truth in this situation?" He asked his thick Bulgarian accent skewing his words slightly.

I smirked at the boy. Clearly, his Headmaster had not given him the rundown on his host's abilities, "Even if that were true," Madame Maxime started, "How could a fourth year possess the magic to circumvent the Goblet's magical defenses?"

"Then he got someone to do it for him," Karkaroff sneered, coming to his student's defense.

"Well, Professor Dumbledore, was the boy lying?" My Headmistress asked, directing her full attention to the Headmaster.

"No," The Headmaster shook his head slowly, "Someone has put his name in the Goblet against his will… Bartemius, it is your decision to make. Will Harry compete in the Triwizard Tournament?"

The Minister looked to be conflicted on the matter, like some a war was raging within his mind, finally, he sighed, "The rules are absolute, the Goblet of Fire executes a _binding_ magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice; he is, as of tonight, a Triwizard Champion."

I heard scoffs from Cedric and Viktor, but I couldn't care less as I looked upon Harry's face, the sheer terror that spread across his features as Mr. Crouch's words turned over in his head. Professor McGonagall gasped in realization while the rest of the Professor's gathered stayed eerily silent as they slowly turned and faced the fearful boy. Harry's breathing started to become rapid as the looks of concern burned into him, not knowing what else to do, I wrapped a comforting arm around the boy's shoulders and turned him away from the Professor's who didn't seem to realize the effect they were having on the poor boy.

I led the boy away from the group, speaking lowly so only he could hear me, "Everything will be okay Harry," I spoke with confidence, keeping all concern out of my voice and hoping that in some small way I could reassure the boy. "Whenever and where ever I can, I'll be there to help you through this; you have my word."

The boy looked up at me then, bewilderment dancing in his eyes behind the fear, "Why?" His voice was barely even a whisper as he spoke, "Why would you do all of that for me."

I debated on how I should answer, I didn't want to lie, but If I said that it was because Professor Dumbledore had asked me to then, that would only serve to bring the fear back on the boy tenfold. Instead, I smiled at him, "It's just the kind of person I am, Viktor and Cedric just want to win, I do too, of course, but not at the cost of my beliefs. One of which is standing up and defending those that may need it." Harry nodded slowly, staying silent as we were called to gather around Mr. Crouch and Professor Dumbledore to hear more about the rules of the Tournament and what was expected of us.

_**Hermione**_

Sitting at the long table, I was still staring at the door that Harry had just disappeared through, followed closely by a large group of Professor's, Mr. Crouch and the Headmasters and Mistress of each school. I ignored the complaints and shouting of the other students as the few remaining Professor's did their best to calm the rowdy students in their charge.

"Why?" The voice was barely above a whisper but I heard it easily as it had come from one of my best friends who was coincidentally sitting right next to me.

"What is it, Ron?" I asked giving the redheaded boy my full attention and putting my worry for Harry to the side for the moment.

"Why didn't he tell me? Tell us?" He asked, sounding miffed.

I looked at Ron skeptically, "Uhm, because he didn't put his own name in the Goblet?" I asked sarcastically.

Run harrumphed at my question, "He just didn't want to share the glory," The redhead complained.

I narrowed my eyes at the boy as he once again had very easily annoyed me, "I don't even know where to begin with getting a name into the Goblet that shouldn't be allowed in there, how could Harry not only know how but have the power required to cast such a spell?" I asked the obvious.

However, with Ron being Ron, he ignored the obvious and stuck with his conclusion, stubbornly ignoring me in the process, "He did it somehow and didn't want to let me have a go too. I know I probably wouldn't have been chosen, but I could've at least put my name in."

I sighed indignantly, "Ron stop being a prat; Harry knows he stands no chance in the Tournament so he wouldn't have done this himself. And besides, there is no way that Mr. Crouch is going to let Harry compete; it's against the rules after all."

Ron just shook his head before returning to his meal, and I just knew that my words and fallen on deaf ears, "Prat," I said mostly to myself but hoping Ron had heard the insult over his chewing.

I pushed away the empty plate that was in front of me and waited for what was sure to come, waited for the Champions, Professor's and Mr. Crouch to come back from wherever they went and announce that Harry had been disqualified from the Tournament.

In the meantime, I cast a wary eye towards Hagrid; the half-giant looked utterly defeated as he sat at in his spot at the Professor's table and waited for everyone to return. He caught my eye and tried desperately to smile, I smiled reassuringly back to him before looking towards the door behind the table and wondered just how long I'd have to sit and agonize over what was going to happen.

As it turned out, not very long as the door opened only moments after and Mr. Crouch entered the Great Hall, followed closely by Professor Dumbledore, then the Champions and then the remaining Professor's joined slightly afterward.

I smiled as Harry came into my view for a few moments before I noticed the look of fear etched onto his face. I glanced at the tall blond girl next to him and watched as she nudged Harry in the side. I watched as she started to speak to Harry and watched as his features slowly hardened, the fear that once resided on his face was quickly hidden.

The room was oddly silent as Mr. Crouch moved to the middle of the room to address the rest of the student body.

"I would ask all of you to please join me in congratulating our four Champions once again before we continue the feast," The room erupted in applause and whistles as the student body cheered for the four Champions. I couldn't bring myself to join them, however, as my mind was reeling at the news. My mind continued to swirl around Harry and why he was allowed to stay a Champion when it was against the rules of the Tournament.

Before long the Champions took their seats with dessert being served promptly after they had sat back down. Ron scowled at Harry from his position and I watched as the dark-haired boy folded in on himself under the condemnation.

I reached over and rested a hand atop of Harry's arm; I smiled as he looked into my eyes, "Everything will be okay," I told the boy before retracting my hand from his arm. I wanted to ask why he was still a Champion but figured it would be best to do that away from so many prying eyes and decided that I would lead the Harry away from the feast after a few minutes to get the answers I needed.

"Hey Harry, can we," I nodded toward the open ornate doors leading out of the Great Hall before standing and walking out. Harry caught on quick and joined me out in the sparsely populated hall, a usual meeting spot for other students that wanted to speak privately about things.

"What is it Hermione," Harry asked a little sheepishly.

"I just needed to know, why are you still a Champion if it's against the rules for anyone under the age of seventeen to enter the Tournament?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders a little, "I'm… I don't really know; I was kind of out of it when I walked into the trophy room with the girl from Beauxbatons."

"You mean Fleur," I provided for my friend, wondering how he had forgotten the name of the Champion that was called out just before him. I felt myself smile a little as I remembered the sight of the girl standing and walking resolutely towards the front of the Great Hall only to be stopped and tackled by someone.

My reverie broke as I heard rough, dragging footsteps approaching from behind, "What was that?" I heard Ron ask from behind me.

I turned to glare at the redhead as Harry moved to stand next to me, "What was what?" Harry asked only to receive a hard glare from the Weasley.

"Ron just stop, how could Harry have done this?" I asked, and Ron quickly moved his glare to me.

"Stay out of it 'Mione," The boy spat, "I've had it with listening to you right now, I want to hear what Harry has to say for himself."

I rolled my eyes at Ron before leveling him with a glare of my own, "Hermione's right Ron," Harry said from beside me, "How could I have put my name in the Goblet myself?"

"That's exactly it, I don't know, if you had told me we could have both put our names in, I just wanted to see if I'd even be selected and then it wouldn't matter, but no you went and did it yourself and left me out of it."

"Did what?" I was confused when the fourth voice had entered into the conversation, especially when I recognized the French accent and saw that Fleur had entered into our private conversation.

Ron was amazed as he turned and openly ogled the tall French girl now standing before us. The silvery-blond girl paid the redhead no mind, and I wondered how much practice she'd had in ignoring people that stared at her body as she didn't even blush the tiniest bit under Ron's gaze.

After finally recovering from the shock of seeing the amazingly beautiful French girl, Ron pointed an accusatory finger at Harry, "He put his name in the Goblet and didn't include me in the plans, now he won't even tell us how he did it."

Fleur's face contorted into confusion as he looked between the two boy's, "Professor Dumbledore seems to believe that Harry had nothing to do with his name being put in the Goblet."

"So?" Ron asked, and I watched as Fleur regarded the redhead curiously for a few moments.

"The Headmaster would Know whether or not Harry had done such a thing thanks to Legilimency," Fleur answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which to some people it was.

Ron grumbled and stared at the three people opposing him before stalking off towards the Gryffindor tower alone. I turned to Fleur curiously, "Why'd you come to help?" I asked the girl.

Fleur plastered a sweet smile onto her face as she gave me her whole attention, and I found myself a little intimidated by the action, "I was just going to go for a little walk to help my food digest when I heard the commotion, but I'm confused, I thought he was one of your friends. It certainly seemed that way earlier."

Once again I was curious, how the girl had come to such a conclusion, had she been watching us? Or was she just that good at reading people that as she looked around, she could pick up on things like that. As I contemplated other reasons the girl may have come to such a conclusion Harry spoke up from my side.

"He was… Is. He's just a little stubborn and sometimes doesn't like listening to reason, but he'll realize soon enough that he's in the wrong. He always does."

I snorted in uncontrolled laughter at the statement, garnering a small giggle from the French girl, "Cute," I heard the girl whisper and wondered whether or not she had wanted me to hear it as she smiled at me. I felt as my cheeks quickly began to heat up under the older girl's gaze and I couldn't force myself to keep looking at her, I needed to turn away before my entire body flushed with embarrassment.

"What I meant was," I spoke up as I recovered slightly but was still unable to look at the other girl, "That Ron sometimes doesn't see reason. Like with Viktor Krum and the whole Quidditch debacle, he still idolizes the Seeker even after he lost the game for Bulgaria. I know he has skill, but he still kept his team from being able to win the game."

"Hermione, please don't start on that again," Harry said a little frustratedly.

"But she is right, no?" Fleur jumped to my defence, her thick accent resonating within me.

Harry nodded, "She is right, but I just don't want to start another thing with Ron."

Fleur looked utterly confused at the statement, "But… Ron is not here."

"That's true, but I also don't want to hear it anymore," Harry confessed.

Fleur scratched behind her ear, still seeming somewhat confused before shrugging, "Oh well, I must be off now, I'm sure my sister will be wondering where I am if I take too long." Fleur pulled out her wand from a hidden pocket on her school uniform and waved it around for a second.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"I cast a silencing charm as I approached, I guess you didn't notice the staring of the other students as they piled out of the Great Hall," Fleur explained before slowly moving away, "I shall speak with you soon Harry, goodbye Hermione."

I looked between Harry and Fleur, "I'll meet you in the Common Room," I told Harry before chasing Fleur down the halls, I still needed an answer to my question.

**Translations: **Reste calme, mais mon compagnon est ici – Stay calm, but my Mate is here.

All translations are coming from Google Translate so don't kill me if they are written completely wrong or are completely butchered grammatically speaking, I do not know a thing about French.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Fleur**_

_Hermione_, the name rattled around my mind as I left the duo behind me, I could feel people staring at me and knew that the massive grin on my face hat to be at least part of the reason. But I couldn't help myself; the euphoria spread from the soles of my feet to the tip of my head as my heart pounded away excitedly in my chest. During the entire conversation, I was worried that my emotions would simply leak out or maybe even burst forth having me sweep the young witch off of her feet and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. But thankfully, I was able to control myself and, hopefully, endear myself to her even by a little bit.

"Fleur?" My quietening heart thumped once again as the unmistakable sound of my Mate's voice drifted to my ears.

I felt as my steps faltered and I stumbled just a little, "Merde," I cursed under my breath as I righted myself, hoping the brunette didn't notice as she approached me.

I turned to regard Hermione with what I was hoping was a relaxed smile, desperately keeping the blush from covering my cheeks, "Yes, Hermione?" I asked, keeping my voice level.

"I'll get straight to the point, why is Harry still in the Tournament? I thought for sure that he would be disqualified for being too young," As the brunette spoke, I had to stop my mind from floating away at the sweet tone of her voice.

"According to Mr. Crouch, the Goblet creates a binding magical contract with whoever puts their name into the Goblet, so whoever's name gets chosen is obligated to participate," I answered for the younger witch.

I could practically see the cogs in Hermione's mind whirling as she processed the information, "But then Harry would only need to participate if he put his own name into the Goblet, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders at the question, "I don't know how it all works Hermione, Professor Dumbledore would, but he left the decision up to Mr. Crouch, so maybe the contract is actually just attributed to the name rather than both the name and who puts it in."

Hermione shook her head at the thought, "If that were true then that would make no sense because then any name could be thrown in, say if someone wanted to have a little fun, they could even throw a Professor's name in. So that doesn't fit."

I nodded along with the younger witch, "That's true, but since it was made for students maybe there are other security measures in place to make sure that no Professor's names are placed in the Goblet." I didn't believe it myself; I just wanted my time with the young witch to continue for as long as possible.

"I'm not going to say that that is impossible, but it is highly unlikely as that would mean they need to somehow update all the names that _can _be selected and I just don't know how you do that with magic. Which leads me to the conclusion that Harry does not need to be in the Tournament; he is being forced to do it when there is simply no need for him too."

"That may be true," I sighed at the unfortunate circumstance, "But don't worry too much about it, Harry will be fine," I told the brunette as I laid a comforting hand on the girls shoulder, my heart skipping a beat as the warmth of the other girl spread through my hand and up my arm, seeking out my heart.

Hermione looked pointedly at me, "How can you be so sure?" She whimpered, and I felt the jealous side of me beginning to rear its ugly head, "The Triwizard Tournament is supposed to be extremely dangerous."

I fought the urge to pull the young witch into a comforting hug, no matter how much I wanted to I knew it was too soon as I had just met the girl, not only that but I also knew that I would not be able to control my emotions should I get that close to the witch. Instead, I placed my other hand on the girl's other shoulder and looked into her eyes firmly.

"I am sure because I will be protecting him to the best of my ability, your Headmaster has asked me to do this, and Harry is nowhere near ready to be in such a challenge."

To my surprise, the brunette lunged at me, her arms wrapped around my torso had held tightly to my midsection, "Thank you," The girl said her relief evident in her voice.

I moved my hands, so I was holding the girl around her upper back but not quite her shoulders, I kept my breathing level and quiet as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her being so close. I shuddered as I took a short sniff of the air around us and relished the scent of vanilla mixed with a more subtle lavender and knew that that was a scent I wanted to wake up to every morning and fall asleep next to every night.

I grimaced as the girl pulled away, and the look of worry remained in her eyes, "Are you okay?" She asked, once again surprising me.

"What do you mean?" I asked before realizing what she was talking about, as I was solely focused on controlling my actions, I didn't realize that my heart was beating like crazy, and since Hermione's head was resting on my chest, there was no hiding what was happening inside me.

"Your heart is hammering pretty hard," The witch turned her head to the side, curiously, "Why is that?"

I began to blush profusely as my mind searched for an answer that wouldn't just scare the girl away or make her worry unnecessarily about either myself or Harry, I smiled coyly at the younger witch, "I'm just excited. I wasn't sure that I was going to be selected to be a Champion and I've been on cloud nine ever since my name was called," I lied, truth be told I didn't even care about the Triwizard Tournament now, now it was just a tool to use to impress the girl standing in front of me.

Hermione facepalmed at my answer, "Of course," The girl said with a soft giggle that set my entire being on fire, "That's the whole reason that you're here so of course, you're excited, especially since you're prepared for the Tournament."

I was a little upset at hearing the girl say that all I was here for was the Tournament, but it was better that then having her run off screaming or something like that because I had pronounced my love for the younger witch after knowing her for all of five minutes.

"Okay, well, I should get back to the Common Room, it's got to be getting close to curfew. Good luck with the Tournament and thanks again for helping Harry," Hermione said with a smile.

"Thank you, Hermione," Was all I could think to say before the girl turned and walked off down the Hall, I couldn't keep my eyes from wondering over her clothed body as she walked away.

I turned and headed back the way I was walking earlier, noticing that there were now no other students in the Hall and I wondered just how long we had been talking. The thought quickly left my mind as I walked out of the castle and was hit by the bristling chill of the outside world.

"I wondered how long you'd take," I heard the musical voice of my little sister not far away from me. She was standing in the cold and wearing what to be at least three jumpers to account for the extra mass that appeared to be on her. Thankfully she was holding out a long, very thick jacket to me which I gratefully took and threw over my already shivering body.

"How is it so cold?" I asked in frustration, obviously already knowing full well why.

"I don't care about that," My sister babbled, "What happened when you went to talk to your Mate?"

I shushed my sister immediately as a couple of students walked by, luckily, they hadn't heard what my sister had said. "Let's go back to the carriage and discuss it there," I said as I took Gabrielle's hand and walked with her towards the vast field that our carriage had set down in.

"Why is it that the carriage seems so far away when you want something?" Gabrielle complained in annoyance before pouting.

I laughed at my little sisters' antics as we moved towards the carriage, the blue, oversized vehicle already in view but my sister just kept right on pouting from my side.

"The carriage is _right _there, Gabi," I laughed as I pointed to the vehicle.

"Right there or passed the forest it doesn't matter, it may as well be halfway around the world," Gabrielle grumbled as she picked up the pace, dragging me along behind her. "Come on, if you are going to make me wait till we get there, then we are going to be moving faster."

I just laughed as I picked up my pace a little, allowing my sister to drag me along behind her with a grin on my face every time she turned back to scowl at me. We made back to the carriage in no time, my sister barging passed any other students that got in her way, I simply apologized to each girl as we passed, flashing them a brilliant smile that had each one blushing and saying it was nothing with smiles plastered on their faces.

"Finally," My sister groaned as she threw the door to my room open and stomped inside, I followed her in and closed the door softly behind me, not wanting to be scolded should Madam Maxime be in the carriage already.

"What's the rush for Gabrielle?" I asked in teasing voice as I sat on my bed, my eyes following my sister as she paced frustratedly.

The glare my sister leveled on me stated a fit of laughter that, the time I was finally finished, had my sister laughing as well as she calmed down from my teasing. I motioned Gabrielle to join me on the bed and hugged her tightly as an apology for my earlier teasing. My sister hugged me back; she has never been one to turn away a little sisterly skin-ship, no matter how she felt about me at the time.

"Now, what is it that you want to know, sis?" I asked softly, as I rubbed my hand absentmindedly over the silky-smooth skin of her arm.

What's her name?" Gabrielle asked immediately.

I chuckled a little as I was filled with happiness, "Her name is Hermione," My smile when I said the name in private went from ear to ear. "And she's so beautiful up close," I continued without any prompting, "She's bright and seems like a brilliant young witch. And her voice," I closed my eyes as I imagined her British accent once again floating through my ears, "Let's just say I could listen to her read the dictionary and I wouldn't be bored."

My sister laughed at that, "I doubt that very much Fleur."

"You'll find out one day Gabi, when you meet your special someone," I said as I bopped her on the nose, causing the girl to yelp before she wriggled out of my hug, knowing precisely what was coming had she not gotten away.

"Dammit Fleur, why do you have to ruin the hug all the time," Gabrielle pouted from her position halfway to my door.

I laughed again, "How can I not when you react in the cutest ways? Your Mate is definitely going to do it too," I teased.

Gabrielle blushed a pretty shade of pink at that, "No they won't!" She exclaimed incredulously, "They will be the nicest person alive and will never do anything to annoy me."

"They will when you act that cute," I called out as Gabrielle left in a huff, leaving me alone for only a few moments before she walked back into my room, a sad look on her face.

"Do you really think I'll find them?" Gabrielle whispered sadly as she sat back down next to me, my earlier teasing mood evacuating at the sadness in the girls' voice.

I sighed as I wrapped my arms around the shaking young girl, "You shouldn't be thinking like that, Gabi," I told the girl thoughtfully.

"But so many of our kind have died before ever meeting their Mate's… What if I don't find mine?" Gabrielle whimpered, her head resting against my shoulder.

I was upset that my finding my Mate had brought this to the forefront of my sisters' mind, but I suppose it was better that it happened now, at least I could fill the young girl with hope. I rubbed my hand up and down Gabrielle's back comfortingly.

"I'm sure that you'll find them, and when you do, they'll be just as amazing as you've always dreamed and will fall head over heel's for you the second they see you," I assured the girl. "I will make sure that you don't go your entire life without finding them," I promised the girl and myself that I would do everything and anything to help my sister if I needed to.

Gabrielle sniffed a little as she raised her head from my shoulder, "Thanks Fleur, I think I should go to bed now, though."

My heart quaked at the sadness I heard in my sisters' voice and, as she began to move away from me, I reached out my hand and grabbed her wrist, pulling the young girl back to me. I stared into her sad eyes and wondered if I had gone through the same thing when I was younger, I couldn't quite remember if I felt as sad as my sister looked, but I know that I was at least worried about it.

"Gabrielle," I spoke seriously, staring deeply into her eyes, "There is nothing on this Earth that will stop me from finding your Mate for you if you can't find them yourself. Even if it takes me to the other side of the world."

Gabrielle smiled at me, "I know Fleur," Gabrielle spoke quietly before silence ruled in my room once again. A few minutes later, I finally released my sisters' wrist, "Uhh… Fleur, could I sleep here tonight?" Gabrielle asked uncertainly.

"We haven't slept in the same bed for a few years, but sure, let's do that," I grinned before standing from my bed, "But before we do that we should shower, it's been a long day."

Gabrielle nodded, and within half an hour we were both laying in the single bed that was assigned to me, thanks to my sisters' lithe form we both fit in the bed easily. We were laying right next to each other, and I was hugging my sad sister close to me, but we were still comfortable on the small bed.

_**Hermione**_

I was sitting in the dorm room that I shared with four other girls; each one had gone to sleep about an hour ago but I was still sitting at the small desk that I had claimed in my first year of school, a book lying open in front of me as I put notes in a brand new notebook. I had checked the book out of the library and decided that rather than get books out whenever I needed them, I'd instead take notes on the critical details of the book's that I figured I would need the most.

But even though I had the book open and had been sitting here for hours, I was yet to finish even a quarter of the book; my mind was occupied elsewhere. I was still a little worried about Harry, despite Fleur's assurances, but I was more focused on the pounding of Fleur's heart when I had uncharacteristically hugged the tall French girl.

She said it was just excitement, which I had accepted immediately at the time but now that I really thought about it, I could hear her heart the entire time I was hugging her, and it had started to speed up during the hug, not already pumping at full tilt. I scratched my head in confusion, as I pondered what could have been going on with the girl.

After some time, I shrugged as I concluded that maybe she just wasn't used to such displays, especially not from someone that was basically a complete stranger. There really was no other option, _Unless she's attracted to me_, I laughed at the stray thought, "Yeah right," I said aloud to myself before I tried to start taking notes again, to no avail.

"Ugh, I'm going to bed," I mumbled after another ten minutes of sitting at my desk doing nothing.

**. . .**

_I was standing in a large, open grass field, in the distance, in every direction, were large dark hills that hid the grass plain, and in effect, me, from the prying eyes of the rest of the world. I sighed in content as I walked through the long grass, spreading my arms and opening my hands to allow the blades of grass to tickle my palms and fingers as I moved._

_I laughed happily as my hair billowed in the cool breeze. I stood still in the field and spread my bare arms, allowing my skin to soak in the warming rays of sunlight. The sheer white dress I wore was light and soft as it rubbed against my legs thanks to the wind blowing past._

"_Where are you?" I called out to the open field and heard the unmistakable sound of a girl giggling in the distance._

_My face lit up in a smile as I headed towards the sound, "I'm going to find you~" I cooed as the giggling got louder._

_I walked for a few minutes until I felt a soft hand brush up my calf before I was pulled toward the ground by the girl beneath me. We laughed together as I found myself in the arms of another laughing girl that was holding me around the waist lovingly._

"_Took you long enough to get here," The girl cooed in a beautiful French accent._

"_Oh whatever," I said as I swatted her arm lightly, "You didn't exactly make it easy for me to find you."_

"_But still, I thought you were the smartest girl alive; you should have been able to find me quicker than you did," The girl teased as she rolled us over, the taller girl finishing up on top of me._

"_I _am_ the smartest girl alive, Fleur, your just very good at making clues, I only apparated to two other fields before this one," I explained to the older girl._

"_Oh you," Fleur said in fake embarrassment as she hid her face away from me._

_I laid a hand on the girls' soft cheek and turned her head to face me; the entire rest of the world faded away as I stared into her sapphire blue eyes. Her eyes began to grow larger as I moved towards the girl before I closed my own eyes and-_

**. . .**

I awoke the next morning with a blush on my face; I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as my mind was a flurry after the dream I had just had. I looked to my left and then right to see that my dormmates were all still asleep. I raised a hand to my lips, "What was that dream?" I asked the open air, hoping somehow the answer would come to me.

As no answer was forthcoming, I instead rose from my bed while grumbling, with my mind still fogged by sleep, I accidentally stood on the tale of my half Kneazle, Crookshanks, causing it to shriek loudly before dashing away to a nearby windowsill. I looked apologetically towards the animal that was glaring at me as it laid down on the windowsill it had sought safety on. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders before continuing to get ready for the day ahead, Crookshanks would forgive me soon enough and come begging for the occasional pat.

"Good morning, Hermione," Parvati said from her bed, "Heard you attack your cat," The Indian girl joked.

I smiled at the girl, "Yeah, unfortunately, he was sleeping mostly under my bed, just his tail was sticking out, and I accidentally stood on it," I explained as I rooted around in the small dresser by my bed.

"Yeah, that'll do it," The dark-skinned girl yawned as she stretched her arms high above her head. I glanced at her from my spot at my dresser and felt my cheeks flush, and my heart speed up as I took in the sight of her graceful body as she stretched her tired muscles.

I quickly turned back to my dresser and focused on collecting clothes for the day before I was caught staring at the Indian girl. With my face still flushed, I made sure I was turned towards Lavender while I got dressed as I knew she was still asleep and wouldn't be up for quite some time.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully which wasn't exactly ideal as it meant I was left alone to my confusing thoughts about the dream that I had had the night before and then the way my body reacted to Parvati's body. I shuddered as I remembered the view I got from the other girl, and my mind was sent into a confusing spiral. It wasn't like I didn't know what was going on, I was more surprised than anything that I was, at the very least, bisexual, although this was the first time that I had ever felt attracted to someone.

I was so muddled in my thoughts that before I knew it, I was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with an already empty plate in front of me. I hadn't even seen Harry yet, but Ron was sitting silently on the other side of the table, still sulking over what he perceived Harry did.

I just left him to sulk on his own knowing that he wouldn't talk about anything else right now if I tried to start a conversation with him. So instead I looked around the sparsely populated Great Hall, not looking for anyone in particular, mostly just filling my time before I decided to head off in the direction of my next class. As I was waiting, however, Harry and the rest of the Champions made their way into the Great Hall, followed by a large group of other students.

Viktor and Cedric walked towards their usual tables, and Fleur moved to head towards hers but was stopped by Harry. In no time at all, the dark-haired boy was approaching with the silvery-blond in tow along with a smaller, carbon copy of herself walking timidly towards the table. The smaller girl seemed to be staring at me as she approached, I smiled at the little girl who reciprocated before tugging on Fleur's arm and whispering something to the older girl, causing her to smile.

"What took you so long?" I asked Harry as he sat down on my left, Fleur and the younger girl sitting on my right.

Harry began grumbling something about the Daily Prophet and a woman named Rita Skeeter, but that was all I could get as he started to eat listlessly.

"Apparently the writer from the Daily Prophet has taken a keen interest in our youngest Champion, his name is going to be all over the paper by the weekend," Fleur giggled cutely a little as she spoke.

"It was so annoying answering all of her bloody questions," Harry grumbled around a simple sandwich. Ron huffed from his place on the other side of the table, "Problem Ronald?" Harry asked, looking very miffed at his best friend.

Ron had at least enough sense to stay silent and instead just walk away, leaving the four of us alone. Harry just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his food, but I could tell he was hurt by the way Ron was acting. Fleur watched the redhead leave, shaking her head at the way the boy was acting while her carbon copy seemed to be ignoring what happened, more focused on me than anything else.

While the other two were distracted the younger girl held out her hand, "Hi, my names Gabrielle," The girl said with a strong French accent, "I'm Fleur's little sister," The girl seemed to be super proud of that fact as she puffed up her chest confidently.

I took the girls hand, surprised at the formal introduction as she was so young, "I'm Hermione," I said with a smile.

"You're very pretty," The young girl said causing me to blush at the compliment, I noticed a grin appear on the girls face as she opened her mouth to speak again, "Even my sister thinks so."

Fleur shrieked from her spot as she slapped her hand over her sisters' mouth with maybe a bit much force as she shushed the giggling girl. In the end, I began laughing as well while a mortified Fleur sat sulking a little after being laughed at.

As I calmed down and looked at the slightly crestfallen girl, I decided to help her out a little, "I think your sister is quite pretty herself," I leaned over Fleur and whispered to Gabrielle, knowing full well the older girl could hear me, "She's much prettier than me anyway."

Gabrielle grinned again, and I knew that she was going to say something else that her sister didn't like, "My sister would _completely _disagree with you."

"Gabi, stop it~" Gabrielle just laughed at her sisters pleading as I leaned back and smiled apologetically at the older girl.

The rest of lunch seemed to go by in a flash as the four of us chatted about various things including, much to Harry's chagrin, Ron and the upcoming Tournament. Harry ended up leaving halfway early, not specifying what he was going to do and leaving Fleur, Gabrielle and myself at the table. We didn't pay it any mind while we continued our conversation until classes started again, forcing us to go, but not before we made plans to talk at dinner as well.

I wasn't sure why but for some reason I had found myself getting closer with the girl much quicker than I had with anyone else, after thinking on why that was, I decided to just chalk it up to the fact that the older girl was quite easy to talk to. As we parted ways, I was quickly approached by the youngest of the Weasley clan.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny spoke chirpily from beside me.

"Good afternoon, Ginny, how have you been today?" I asked kindly.

"Very good," the redhead replied with a smile before she went quiet for a few moments, "Also… How's Harry doing?" Ginny asked worriedly.

I put an arm around the younger girl, I knew full well that she had had a crush on Harry for a long time now, but she was far too shy to say anything, "He'll be fine Ginny, Fleur, the Beauxbatons Champion is going to help him through the Tournament," I explained.

Ginny nodded along, frowning a little at the revelation, although she didn't say anything, I knew that it was because she was jealous, thinking that the older girl was going to steal her crush. I didn't say anything to the girl, no matter how badly I would have liked to tell her just to say something. It was the most annoying thing about knowing when people had crushes on other people; nothing was going to happen if they didn't say anything. But if they did and got rejected anyway at least, they'd have their answer and could try to move on.

I shrugged my shoulders as I came to the door for my next class, "Well, this is me. I'll see you next time, Ginny." I said with a little wave as the girl continued walking down the corridor. She waved back at me before disappearing into the throng of students, leaving me to my thoughts once again.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Fleur**_

Hermione was quietly laughing as a small bell sounded from above us as we walked into a small tea shop. Gabrielle had just finished telling the brunette about the time I had almost slipped down the staircase at our house, I was able to stop myself from falling by sliding my hand through the railing only for my arm to get stuck in between the wooden slats.

"She was really stuck there for three hours?" Hermione asked my sister, still chuckling at the tale.

I looked around at the tackily decorated shop while my sister continued her story, the place was filled with frills and bows and pinks and blues, the tables seemed to be almost too close together as the shop was filled with as many as could fit. I sighed as I looked around and noticed all the tables were occupied by what looked like happy couples out on a date and I couldn't help but wish that, even with the place being so flashy, that it was just Hermione and I here. A short, stout woman scurried towards us as we stood in the entrance, her black hair was up in a neat shiny bun.

"I am ever so sorry, but we have no empty seats at the moment my lovelies," The woman said, an apologetic smile gracing her features.

I smiled sweetly down at the woman, "That's okay, maybe we can come back later in the day," the woman blushed and averted her gaze slightly.

"That would be lovely," The woman said with a soft nod, "I would be glad for your patronage."

"So where to now?" I asked Hermione as we stepped back out into the cold of High Street.

Thankfully she and my sister had stopped bonding over embarrassing stories centred around me, and she quickly pointed down the street, "There is a small pub up this way, it's usually busy, but the owner is nice, and she brews _the _best Butterbeer I've ever tasted."

I smiled as I followed after the brunette, my sister walking beside me with an all too innocent look on her face, "I hope you're having fun," I said with mock annoyance in my voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just bonding with my new friend," Gabrielle smirked and winked before skipping up to Hermione.

I laughed as I walked a little faster and came up beside my sister. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as I noticed a slight shiver in her step. Gabrielle leaned into the embrace ever so slightly as she sought out the extra warmth I was providing, even if she would deny it tooth and nail should I point it out.

"So where are Harry and Ron today anyway?" I asked as we drew closer to the pub that Hermione was showing us to.

"Ron will probably be at the Three Broom Sticks, which is where we're headed now and Harry decided to stay back at Hogwarts, he said he needed some time alone. Probably nervous about the First Task," Hermione observed.

"I can imagine," I said as I bit down on my lip, my heart beating a little faster at the mention of the First Task, "But he should know that it'll be fine, I have been helping him train after all." I hid my nerves behind my bragging and bravado, just three more days and I would be facing the first in a line of hazardous challenges, and I just hoped that I was truly ready for such a task.

We grew into a semi-awkward silence for the remainder of the short distance to the pub Hermione was taking us to. I tightened my grip on my sister just a little more as I got into my head worrying about what lay ahead. I had put my name into the Goblet not really thinking I would be chosen but quietly hoping I would be so I could show off in front Hermione, but I had never thought about what might happen to me in the Tournament.

A blast of warm air hit my face, bringing me out of my thoughts, my ears filled with the sounds of happy patrons as they drank and chatted away happily. I quickly saw Ron sitting at the bar counter, a lonely look on his face as he sipped at a steaming tankard of Butterbeer.

"Hey, I think we should join Ron," I suggested as I pointed him out at the bar, an apparent empty circle had formed around him as people avoided getting close to the boy.

Hermione grumbled a little from beside me, "He should be lonely, he's being an idiot."

I smiled kindly at the young brunette, "I agree, but he needs someone, he hasn't been able to speak with his best friend for weeks after all."

Hermione begrudgingly accepted my suggestion and swiftly walked up to her friend and took a seat beside him, Gabrielle sat beside Hermione, and I stood behind my sister, a little worried for her safety amongst the many intoxicated patrons. The bartender quickly dropped three steaming glasses of Butterbeer in front of us. I quickly swiped the one that was placed in front of my younger sister and pushed it back to the bartender.

"I'm sorry, but she can't drink this," I said with a frown, "I know there isn't much alcohol content but she's still far too young to drink it."

The blond woman smiled sweetly from behind the counter, "Oh don't worry about that, since so many students visit this town, I brew a special Butterbeer that has zero alcohol in it."

"Oh, well thanks," I said a little sheepishly, the bartender nodding with a brilliant smile.

"Not a problem, that'll be six Sickles for all three."

I quickly fished the money out of my pocket and placed it in the woman's awaiting hand while Hermione reached for her own money.

"Don't worry Hermione, I've already handled it," I said with a smile as I placed my hand over Hermione's outstretched one, relishing the softness of the younger girl's skin.

Hermione smiled at me, "You didn't need to do that."

"I know, but I don't mind," I told the brunette wanting to say that it was my pleasure but deciding against it, worried it would come across as too flirty.

Once again, the group descended into an awkward silence, only now we were awkward because neither Ron nor Hermione had acknowledged each other since we sat down.

"Ron," I broke the silence, "How have you been going?" I asked as I haven't seen the boy for quite some time, when we got to a meal, he was either always leaving or sitting on the other side of the table.

Ron growled a little, "How do you think I've been," The redhead retorted in a huff.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the boy, "Don't be a dolt Ron. We're just here to have a good time, and Fleur is just trying to be nice."

Ron stood abruptly at that, "I don't need your bloody pity!" The rest of the pub quietened as every eye in the building turned to our small group. "Just leave me alone," Ron huffed as he turned to leave, he hesitated for a few moments before turning back, "Hagrid is looking for Harry, he needs to see Harry today."

Ron left the three of us at the pub staring after him, the other patrons of the pub turned back to their own drinks and conversations uttering quick remarks along the lines of 'This is why they shouldn't allow students in here.' I turned back to Hermione and Gabrielle, Hermione held a look of sorrow as she looked at the doorway that Ron had just disappeared through. A tight clenching pain flared in my heart as I looked on at the sorrowful look etched into my Mate's features.

Without thinking, I reached over to the brunette and bundled her into a tight embrace, "It's okay," I whispered. "He'll come around soon enough, you'll see."

Hermione hesitated but ultimately wrapped her arms around my waist, "It's just so frustrating, we've been friends for so long," the brunette shuddered in my arms. "And Harry really needs him, I just… Don't know what to do."

"I know, I know, but unfortunately all you _can_ do is wait," I said as I pulled back, looking Hermione in her beautiful chocolate eyes, "He will come around, trust me, behind his flaws I can tell that Ron has a good heart. He is friends with both you and Harry after all, he can't be too bad if he accomplished that, now can he?"

Hermione shook her head as a small smile spread across her lovely pink lips, I ground my teeth as I pulled my hands, which had somehow gravitated towards her pale cheeks, back down to her arms and held them there for a few moments. I watched as Hermione's light cheeks flushed a pretty pink as the rest of the pub seemed to disappear from around us. My eyes flicked down to the brunette's lips for half a second before another patron bumped into me, bringing the rest of the world back into view, ruining the moment.

Hermione turned to her still steaming mug of Butterbeer and took a long swig, I decided to do the same, grumbling as I did so. As I turned away from Hermione, I noticed the slowly disappearing smile that was etched onto my sister's face.

"Yes?" I asked Gabrielle.

Gabrielle shook her head as she took another sip from her half-drunk tankard, "This is pretty good."

I took a sip from my own mug and mewled in delight as the extra sweet butterscotch flavour slid over my tongue, coating my mouth with the rich taste. I noticed the bartender smirking from behind the bar, a knowing look in her eyes before she walked down the bar to tend to another patron.

We finished our Butterbeer's rather quickly after that and soon found ourselves walking back down High Street. A young redhead was briskly walking up to our group, her eyes set intently on Hermione as a young blond trailed behind her.

"Hey Hermione!" The girl spoke excitedly as she embraced my Mate.

Thankfully over the last few weeks, I had been able to train myself not to growl over casual contact, or off the cuff comments about Hermione. Which I had noticed mostly seemed to be more on the offensive side as people complained about the girl's bossy tone or her intelligence, even her looks had received comments when she wasn't within earshot, which I just could not understand.

"Hey Gin, how is it going?" Hermione asked as she returned the embrace.

"Pretty good, although Ron's moaning and depression have really been getting on my nerves."

"Depression?" Hermione asked as she released the young girl, causing the redhead in front of her to quickly cover her mouth with her hands.

"I… Wasn't meant to say that, please don't tell him you know… He'll kill me if he finds out I let it slip."

Hermione nodded as she waved a hand towards Gabrielle and myself, "I'm sure you've heard of Fleur, but this is her sister, Gabrielle."

Ginny's face hardened a little as she looked at me but softened almost instantly as she turned to my little sister, "Hi Gabrielle and Fleur, this is Luna," Ginny motioned to the blond standing beside her who looked like she was busy daydreaming.

"Hello," The blond spoke in an airy voice as she looked at something that didn't seem to be there.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," I said with a small nod.

"Hi," Gabrielle grinned as she looked at the two other girls.

"Ginny, we're going to be late," Luna said as she started to wander off down the street.

"Yeah… I'll see you in the Common Room later, Hermione," Ginny said with a meaningful look in her eye.

"Yes, I'll see you there," Hermione said as we bid the two farewell.

"We should get to the tea shop before it's too late," I said as Ginny and Luna disappeared into a sweet shop down the road.

"Ron's depressed?" Hermione asked as we set off back down the street once again.

"I'm not really surprised," Gabrielle said, earning a confused look from Hermione.

"He probably feels a lot like Harry is feeling right now," I explained for my sister as she didn't start to explain herself.

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Well he can't speak to his friends, I'd feel the same if I was stuck here without my sister," Gabrielle said.

Hermione smiled down at my little sister, "I'm sure that's exactly it," Hermione praised my sister, patting her head as she did so.

Gabrielle grinned, and I couldn't help but smile myself at the small exchange between my sister and Mate. I opened the door to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop once again, the bell jingling once again from above me. I smiled as Madam Puddifoot came into view from behind her counter, a brilliant smile gracing her features.

"I am so glad the three of you came back," The older woman said with a slight nod of her head, "We have a free table for you just over here.

Madam Puddifoot showed us to a small table in the corner of the shop, the other patrons glanced at us as we walked past their tables before they returned to their attention back to the people they were with. As we sat, we each ordered a piece of vanilla sponge cake and a cup of sweet tea.

"This place is a bit hectic, is it like _the _date spot?" I asked as I turned to Hermione.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, "Not that I've heard of, but it certainly seems that way. I don't really get it though, if I were on a date with someone, I'd want to be somewhere quiet and with not so many people…" Hermione looked around the Tea Shop and shuddered a little.

We quickly left the Tea Shop after we finished our food and tea, I made sure to personally thank Madam Puddifoot for the food before we headed back out onto High Street.

"We should go to one more place," Hermione said happily as she led us down the road once again.

As we walked out of the Village, the number of Hogwarts students seemed to grow little by little some were walking ahead or behind us walking in the same direction while others were headed back to the village. I could overhear bits and pieces of conversations where the students were discussing horror and ghost stories involving a place labelled 'The Shrieking Shack.'

I refrained from asking about it as I was sure that it was 'The Shrieking Shack' that we were on our way to see. Not to mention Hermione was once again happily chatting away about her schoolwork and the various subjects that she found the most interesting.

I listened intently as Hermione talked about some kind of 'Science' from the 'Muggle World' that she had once thought of as magic herself. The brunette laughed at her younger self, "I've always been curious about Muggles and their 'Science,'" I said as Hermione stopped laughing. "In so many ways, Muggles have advanced so much further than the Wizarding world."

"Well maybe you could come to visit me over the Christmas holidays or something," I could hear a note of hope in Hermione's voice as she spoke, "Then you could be immersed in Muggle culture completely."

"I would like that," I said with an almost flirty lilt in my voice, Hermione smiled, but I was sure my meaning was misconstrued at least a little.

"We're here," Hermione announced as she looked back to the road ahead of her, A large grouping of Hogwarts students were standing on the edge of the path looking out at an imposing black structure that stood out in the white snow of the area. Most of the students stood back behind the wooden posts and looked on from a distance while others stood at various intervals on the narrow pathway that led to the house.

"What is it?" Gabrielle asked as we walked closer to the house.

"It's called the Shrieking Shack, the people in Hogsmeade believe the house is haunted," Hermione explained. "They say that years ago the sounds of screams could be heard coming from the house late at night, but whenever anyone went to inspect the house, there was no way to enter and no one seemed to be inside."

"What do you mean there was no way to enter? There is always a way inside a house, even if you have to make an entrance yourself," Gabrielle asked as she looked on sceptically.

"Well the townsfolk were never brave enough to enter the house themselves, but all of the doors and windows were, and still are, boarded up, so no one could get in there anyway. Which is why they believe it's haunted."

I started up the pathway to the Shrieking Shack, "Shall we check it out a little closer?" I asked, not bothering to look back at Hermione or Gabrielle. I knew Gabrielle would be right with me, she never was one to shy away from pretty much anything, and by Hermione's tone, I assumed she didn't much believe what the people from Hogsmeade thought was true.

"Let's go," Hermione said as walked up beside me, her head held high as she walked forward with confidence, the slight falter in her voice the only sign that gave away her fear.

A few of the other students surrounding us began whispering as they watched us head up the path, their whispers quickly evaporating into nothing as we got further away from them and closer to the more adventurous teens that had started up the trail. The number of students in front of us quickly dwindled to one small group that was standing right at the base of the Shrieking Shack.

I heard Hermione growl softly as the small group came into view, they were all wearing Slytherin robes and were joking about finding a way to throw other people into the Shrieking Shack to terrify them.

"Is something wrong, Hermione?" I asked as the Slytherin's turned around to face us.

"Hey, it's the mudblood!" A blonde boy called out, "I'm surprised you'd be brave enough to even look at this stupid old house, let alone get close to it."

"Let's just leave," Hermione mumbled as she turned away, I felt my blood boil with anger as I glared at the boy that had just insulted my Mate.

"_What _did you just call her?" I asked rhetorically.

A black-haired girl standing beside the blond whispered something into the blond's ear, and his face fell for an instant. But his bravado seemed to comeback almost instantly as he walked closer to us, "I'm a Malfoy, I'm not afraid of some French girl, even if she is a Triwizard Champion. I mean Harry's name was picked, so how good a witch could she really be?"

I rolled my eyes at that comment as I fished my wand out of my pocket, "You want to find out?" I asked as I pointed my wand at the boy threateningly.

The blond pulled his own wand out, and I disarmed him immediately, grinning as the boy watched his wand fly through the air and land in the snow metres away from where he was standing. I took a step back and grit my teeth as I forced myself to calm down, it would do me no good to be kicked out of the school for harming a young boy just trying to show off in front of his friends.

"Pathetic," I said with a laugh, deciding instead to wound the boy with words as I started to back away from the small group, "Next time you should try and move, I find that helps," I told the boy in a mocking tone. "Or at least move faster than a bloody slug!"

"You bloody idiot!" The black-haired girl barked at the blond before she stalked off, walking briskly passed me, flashing an apologetic look in my direction.

"Well at least someone understands where she sits on the food chain," I said with a grin as I re-joined Hermione and Gabrielle who had backed off a little.

"That was… A lot quicker than I expected," Hermione said, "I thought you were going to really attack him."

I waved a hand dismissively in the boy's direction, "He's not worth it," I said, hiding the fact that I had almost gone off the deep end.

"I would disagree," Gabrielle said as she sneered in the boy's direction, "You should have turned him into a ferret!"

Hermione and I laughed at the image, "Come on, let's get out of here, head back to Hogwarts. We need to tell Harry that Hagrid is looking for him after all," Hermione said, and we all left together, heading straight back to Hogwarts castle.

_**Hermione**_

After arriving back at Hogwarts, Fleur and Gabrielle were quickly approached by Madam Maxime who needed to discuss the First Task of the Tournament with Fleur, so we said our goodbyes and I was left to find Harry myself. I had checked the Library, down by the Great Lake and the Great Hall to no avail. My next destination was the Gryffindor Common room which I was currently on my wat towards.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny greeted me as she ran up the stairs to the Common Room two at a time, "Can we talk?"

I looked to the youngest Weasley, her eyes and tone of voice pleading with me to say yes, "Possibly, I need to tell Harry something really quickly, and I'm actually hoping he's sitting in the Common room, right now, I've checked a bunch of other places, and he wasn't there."

Ginny didn't say anything as she followed me into the Common room and, just my luck, Harry was sitting by one of the fireplaces with a book in his hands. I wasn't surprised to find that he was merely sitting there with it open to try and ward off anyone that approached him.

"Hey Harry, Ron told me that Hagrid was looking for you," I said, not giving the boy a chance to tell me to go away, although the look on his face was definitely telling me that.

Harry smiled as he climbed out of the soft red chair, "I'll go see him now then," Harry said happily, the boy was always happy to speak with half-giant.

I watched him go, a little annoyed that he didn't thank me or even say 'Hi' to me or anything, I shook my head before sitting in the seat he had just vacated, Ginny quickly sat in the opposite chair and looked at me intently.

"What is it, Gin?"

"It's about Harry… And Fleur."

I looked at the girl, curiously, "What about them?" I asked my pulse quickening a little.

"Well, they've been spending a lot of time together recently, it's pretty much whenever I see one of them the other isn't far behind," Ginny explained with a worried look on her face.

"So?" I asked a little hotly.

"Well, when two people spend so much time together, they can… Well, you know?"

"I think I understand what you're saying, but I've also been spending just as much time with Fleur, in fact, I'm pretty sure I've been spending more time with Fleur than Harry has, it doesn't mean anything."

"Well sure, but you're a girl, and so is Fleur so," Ginny started, and I felt a pain flare in my chest.

"So what?" I asked.

"So, you two are just friends-"

"Yeah, just like Harry and Fleur. Or me and Harry. Or me and Ron. Or even Draco and Pansy. It doesn't change anything."

Ginny recoiled a little at my biting tone, "What's wrong? Why are you getting so upset?"

_Why am I getting so upset? _I asked myself, was it because Ginny only thought that a boy and girl could be together? Or was it more directed at the fact that she didn't think I could be with Fleur? Whichever it was I wasn't sure.

"I'm just frustrated with everything happening between Ron and Harry," I sighed as I reached over and grabbed Ginny's hand comfortingly. "But seriously, nothing's happening between Fleur and Harry, Fleur and I have been getting closer recently, and I'm sure I would have noticed something by now if anything was happening. And you know I would tell you right?"

Ginny nodded her head, "I know, it's just hard when the person you like barely knows you exist."

"You could change that you know, all you have to do is start talking to him."

Ginny shook her head, her face turning red as the thought played in her mind, I laughed at the girl's reaction, as I released her hand, it was starting to get to be time for Dinner, and I was getting hungry.

"Hey, why don't you join us during dinner? You can get to know Fleur a little and see that there really is nothing going on between her and Harry," I suggested. Ginny gave a non-committal grunt as answer as she too rose from her chair, "Come on Ginny, Fleur's a great girl, and her sister loves to torment her which can get quite funny at times… Please?"

"Alright," Ginny sighed dramatically, "But just because you want me too," I smiled and shook my head as Ginny left the Common room ahead of me, before following after her. The two of us walked down to the Great Hall together were many students had already started to gather, Gabrielle, Fleur, and Harry were already sitting together.

I sat beside Fleur, which had somehow seemed to become 'my spot' and Ginny sat on the other side of the table next to Gabrielle. Ginny smiled at Harry, who was too busy looking down the table at Ron, who was quite obviously ignoring the dark-haired boy.

"What did Hagrid want?" I asked Harry, hoping to bring his attention away from his best friend.

"Not sure, he asked me to meet him tonight…" Harry moved in closer as he began to whisper, "Late tonight, and with my invisibility cloak."

Gabrielle gasped from her spot, "You have an invisibility cloak?"

Harry nodded his head as he raised a finger to his lips, shushing the younger Delacour, "I got it from my father, it's been passed down through my family for generations…"

"That's so cool," Gabrielle gushed.

The rest of dinner passed smoothly with Ginny interacting with both Harry and the Delacour's easily and comfortably. Harry ended up leaving the earliest so he could prepare to meet Hagrid, at least that was his excuse, Ginny went soon afterward leaving me with Fleur and Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was leaning on her folded arms, her eyes closed, "Is she asleep?" I whispered, leaning a little closer to Fleur.

"Possibly, either that or she's subtly signalling that she wants to go to bed," Fleur said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Well, maybe we should head off too then," I suggested, a little disappointedly.

"Yeah we should," Fleur said as she reached across the table to shake her sister, "Gabi~ Wake up~" The French girl cooed. Gabrielle grumbled, burying her head deep into her arms as she did so, Fleur turned to me and smiled, "Guess I'm carrying some to bed."

I smiled back at the older girl, "I certainly used to love it when my parents would carry me to bed."

Fleur nodded her head in agreement as she pulled her wand from her robes and levitated the girl across the table and into her own arms. Gabrielle immediately wrapped her arms around her older sister and snuggled into the crook of the blond's neck. I smiled at the sweet interaction while feeling a slight pang of jealousy in my gut.

We headed out of the Great Hall and down the hallway in a comfortable silence, all too quickly we arrived at the hall to the Grand Staircase and where we would be saying our goodbyes for the night. I walked slightly into the hallway before turning back to the two Delacour's.

"Well… Goodnight," Fleur said, a look of some kind of emotion I couldn't quite place set deeply in her eyes. It was a look that I had seen in her eyes often, but only when she looked at me and I couldn't help but be curious as to what it was.

"Yeah, goodnight," I said quietly, Fleur turned to leave and, without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her elbow, pulling her back around. My mouth flapped uselessly like a dying fish as I tried to come up with a reason as to why I had just done that, Fleur just waited patiently, almost expectantly in front of me.

A thought came to mind which I grasped immediately, "I just wanted to say thank you, for earlier… For sticking up for me to Malfoy."

"Oh, that," I thought I could hear an edge of disappointment in Fleur's voice, but I put it aside as she continued speaking. "You don't need to thank me for that, I'll always protect you."

"Which is why I should thank you," I said quickly, "We haven't known each other all that long, yet you say things like that, you're helping Harry deal with the Tournament, and you comforted me when Ron got angry earlier… Why?" I asked, needing to know the answer.

Fleur just stood there for a few moments as something seemed to swim in the older girls' eyes, an emotion I knew but just couldn't seem to put a name to. But as always, she smiled at me with her same brilliant smile, "Why wouldn't I? It all started when your Headmaster asked me to help Harry because of his age, but I've really grown to like the two of you, you're my friends, and I always help my friends."

I felt a little disappointed by the older girl's explanation, although I wasn't sure why, or maybe I was and just didn't want to accept it, either way, I ignored the feeling and grinned gratefully at the blond. "Well then I'm so glad that we're friends, I've had a little trouble with my friends recently," I joked.

Fleur laughed softly, "Don't worry, one day, you'll all look back on this time and laugh and joke about it."

_I hope you'll be there too_, I thought to myself as I raised my right hand and waved, "Well, goodnight again, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

Fleur nodded, "I'll see you them."

We parted ways, and I quickly found myself collapsing into my bed as the exhaustion of the day caught up to me. A smile settled on my face as the image of a laughing Gabrielle and Fleur filled my imagination, I focused on the image of Fleur as I slowly drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Fleur**_

I was standing in a small canvas tent by Hogwarts' Quidditch Pitch, tapping my foot nervously as the morning slowly dragged on. I had come to the Champions tent early in the hopes of calming my nerves with a little silence, but my hopes were dashed as I found the silence and time alone only seemed to compound the effects that this first Task was having on my mind.

The entrance to the tent flapped as Harry and Hermione walked into the tent together, "Good morning, Fleur," Hermione said with a smile, "We missed you at breakfast this morning."

"I wasn't hungry, so I decided to spend some time alone, you know, prepare for the First Task," I replied, hiding my nerves as best I could.

I looked to Harry and bit my lower lip, the boy was white as a sheet, and his hands were shaking with nervous energy, "You can do this Harry," Hermione ran a comforting hand along Harry's back.

I couldn't stop the growl from escaping my lips as I was already mentally strung out, Hermione and Harry both glanced at me curiously. "I'm just angry that they are making Harry go through with this," It at least wasn't a lie, just not really why I was growling.

Quickly, I walked up to the two younger teens, "Harry, just remember what we discussed, okay?" I asked.

Harry nodded his head and I smiled comfortingly at him, placing a hand on his shoulder just as the flap to the tent rustled once again and a bright flash startled the three of us.

"My oh my, isn't this quite the triangle," Rita mused as she walked into the tent, "I wonder which witch will win the young man's heart."

Hermione glared at the blond woman while I just rolled my eyes at the insinuation, I'd read some of the woman's articles since she started covering the Triwizard Tournament and quickly realized she was just another trashy journalist hunting for a story even if none existed.

"Just get out of here, Rita," I spoke calmly, "This is the Champions tent after all, and you have no business with any of us."

The woman smiled devilishly, "That's fine. I've already got my story after all." The woman slunk back out of the tent winking back at us as she disappeared down the path.

"I hate that bloody woman," Hermione sneered.

"She's just doing her job, it's best not to let it bother you," I said, dismissing the woman as a mere nuisance.

Hermione turned to me in annoyance, "How can I not when her entire job is centered around creating fights and making up lies about other people?"

"Because if she wasn't doing it someone else would be anyway," I explained, "Besides, the simple fact is that most of what she writes _is _lies, so what does it matter?"

"It matters_ because_ people believe her lies and it causes friction and fights amongst people that would normally be close."

"I know, and I don't like that she does that, but I don't see the point in letting it bother me, I've got enough on my mind as it is," I said as I turned away, knowing my nerves were beginning to show on my face.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Professor Dumbledore asked, making me jump a little, I turned and saw that with Professor Dumbledore were Viktor and Cedric with Ludo Gagman holding the tent flap open. "This is the Champions tent."

"Sorry, sir, I'll be heading out now," Hermione apologized, giving Harry one last comforting pat on the shoulder before leaving the tent. She turned back before Mr. Bagman allowed the flap to the tent to fall, "Good luck everyone," She smiled, her eyes lingering on mine sending my heart a-flutter as I gave her a slight wave.

"Alright," Mr. Bagman began as he let the tents flap drop, "Since we're all here, it's about time I tell you about this first task.

_Dragons, _I thought to myself with a slight shake of my head, _What fun. _

"The Quidditch pitch has been converted into a kind of arena, sitting in the middle of that arena lays a solitary golden egg that each of you will need to acquire. Guarding each egg will be a Dragon that is unique to each of you, please, form a circle around me."

I took a spot beside Harry, hoping my presence would calm him at least a little, and watched as Viktor was invited to reach into a small pouch. The young man did so and quickly pulled out a miniature version of what must've been the Dragon that would be guarding his Golden Egg.

"Ooh, the Chinese Firebolt." Then it was Cedric's turn, "The Swedish Short-Snout."

My eyes widened as I took in the two already chosen Dragons, the words from Madame Maxime echoed in my mind, 'Whatever you do, be sure to keep away from the Hungarian Horntail…'

"Ms. Delacour," Mr. Bagman prompted as he shook the velvet pouch softly in front of me, "It's your turn."

I began to chew on the inside of my cheek as I delicately slipped my hand into the soft pouch, enjoying the warm, velvety sensation of the fabric as it slid across my skin. Then I felt it, or them, two small scaly creatures tumbled and tussled around my hand, scratching and nipping softly at the skin on my fingers. I looked down at Harry, the boy was watching the pouch intently. I could see fear swimming in his eyes. I couldn't blame him; he had seen these Dragons up close and knew that my Headmistress had recommended I stay away from the Horntail.

I sighed as I slipped my fingers around a slim tail, grimacing as a few small thorns pierced my skin. I felt as the critter tried it's hardest to escape my grasp, throwing its body this way and that to try and break out of my hold. I pulled the Dragon completely free from the small pouch and felt my heart speed up as I looked at the menacing creature, its eyes boring into mine with hatred.

"The Hungarian Horntail…" Mr. Bagman said what I already knew before prompting Harry to reach into the pouch to pull out the last Dragon. "And lastly the Green Welsh. Now then, Fleur, you're up first."

I snapped my head up and away from the Dragon dangling in between my fingers and leveled my gaze on Mr. Bagman. He smiled in what seemed to be an attempt at comfort. "You'll be starting in thirty minutes; I suggest you take this time to prepare."

"Sure, I'll prepare to fight a Dragon," I spoke sarcastically, almost spitefully at the man,

"You put your name in," Cedric said from his spot, "You should be ready for things like this."

I rolled my eyes at the brunette as I left the tent, and headed down the short dirt pathway that led to the Champions entrance of the Quidditch Pitch turned Arena. A Hogwarts Professor stood with a sour look set on his pale features as he leaned against the light-colored stone wall that lined the arena. He stood near a smallish hole in the wall that had magically been made an opaque black to give the feel of extreme darkness.

"Are you up first?" The Professor asked from his place by the entrance, his eyes staring at our surroundings, apparently on the lookout for something.

"Yeah," I spoke with a nod.

"That's fine, just don't head into the Pitch until you hear the sound of a cannon, it should be firing in about fifteen."

Silence followed the man's words, and I wondered if the area had been magically quietened as I was sure that I should be able to hear cheering coming from the students that no doubt lined the outside of the arena.

I sighed quietly as I took a seat on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my head on my arms, I closed my eyes, forming a very clear image in my mind of the one thing I wanted most in the world. A smile graced my lips as I could practically feel Hermione's brown hair wrapping around my face as I pictured the girl comforting me much the way I wished she would.

A loud explosion rocked me from my daydream, and I was on my feet in seconds, I blinked rapidly as I looked around worriedly.

"What are you waiting for?" The sour Professor asked, "That was the cannon, it's time."

I nodded my head and walked inside, not trusting my voice enough to say anything as I passed through the opaque veil. The tunnel, lit with torches, was a short walk with a very bright light filtering through the hole at the end.

I stood right at the entrance to the arena and took a deep breath as the sounds of cheering filtered into my ears. From my spot, all I could see was a short drop to the floor and a boulder that stood directly in front of me. The sound of running water brought my eyes back to the ground and I cringed. The second I stepped foot in the arena, the Dragon will know where I am and I'll still be in the dark about just about everything.

I pulled my wand from the holster on my leg and made a few quick movements before casting the hover charm on myself so I could float over to solid ground and bypass the sound of landing into the water. As I emerged from the tunnel, the sounds of cheering died down as I floated across to the hard ground on the other side of the stream.

"Quietus," I cast the quietening charm on my shoes so I could try to sneak up on the Dragon, but as I looked up, the massive, scaly creature's shadow was cast over the ground. I glanced over a large boulder and had to quickly dive to one side as its massive jaw snapped at the rock smashing it to pieces. I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the arena, swinging my wand behind me as I tried to damage the massive beast with a few harmful curses.

Every time a curse landed, the creature grunted in pain, yet it's advance never faulted as it continued to chase after me through the rocks and rivers of the small arena. I dove to one side behind a rather large boulder, darting around it and running straight for the little nest where the golden egg sat waiting for me.

A blood-curdling roar broke out in the arena as I moved as fast as my feet could take me, I turned back and watched as the giant beast started to beat its wings, taking some time to take off from a still position. I drew my wand, using the beasts' position to my advantage and cast the Bewitched Sleep Charm on the Dragon.

I watched the Dragon's head bob down and sway from side to side, as it did so I took the opportunity to continue running for the Golden Egg. As I ran, I could hear a soft grumbling from behind me. I ignored the sound as I focused on the goal ahead of me, just a few more meters and I would be able to snatch the Golden Egg into my arms and end this trial.

As I came within inches of the egg, I felt the air around me begin to warm up, the warm breeze felt nice for just a few moments, but within seconds the warm became hot before becoming an almost unbearable heat.

_**Hermione**_

I turned away from the field in horror as the flames grew ever closer to a fleeing Fleur. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut as the roar of the crowd drowned out the pleas inside my head for Fleur to get out of the First Task alive. I risked opening my eyes and tentatively glanced into the modified Quidditch Pitch just in time to see Fleur being rushed out of the field by two Wizards.

I looked around, trying to gather someone's attention so I could ask what happened, but the crowd was too busy cheering for anyone to hear me. I took minimal comfort in the sound as I began to push my way through the crowd slowly. As my feet hit the steps that led the way down to the path back to Hogwarts, I wondered whether or not I should keep moving.

I began to feel guilty as it dawned on me that I would most likely miss Harry's Task if I left to check on Fleur but then on the other hand, I knew I wouldn't have watched Harry in the end. It would have turned out much the same as when I was watching Fleur with me turning away, not being able to watch as one of my closest friends put his life on the line. Even watching a stranger like Viktor Krum would have had me acting in much the same manner.

As the cannon sounded once again, I immediately began walking down the stairs. There was no way that I was going to be able to 'watch' three more Dragon 'fights' let alone watch another one involving my friend. I reached the bottom of the stairs and felt a kind of relief wash over my mind as my feet came into contact with the stone path that led back up to the castle. I found myself smiling as the sounds from the arena were magically drowned out and I began to run along the path. I wasn't sure why I felt so happy and decided not to question the feeling as moments of pure joy, free from worry and stress, were becoming few and far between as I grew older.

A clear picture formed in my mind as I ran towards the castle of Fleur sitting in a bed in the Hospital Wing without a single scratch on her as she chatted happily with her sister. The fantasy continued as I reached the large entryway to the castle and didn't fade until I arrived at the wooden door to the Hospital Wing.

My smile disappeared as I looked at the cold, dark metallic handle of the door, a feeling of dread beginning to overtake me at the lack of sound coming from behind the door. The fantasy I had concocted was shattered in my mind and I struggled to hold onto a shard of the fantasy that was quickly disappearing from my thoughts.

With a shaky hand, I reached out and grabbed the cold handle. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before pushing the door open confidently, making myself believe that everything was fine. I peered into the large room and noticed various students occupying a few beds in the Hospital Wing with minor injuries and ailments. I smiled at an older student that was sitting up in a bed with a hand covering her mouth and received a slight nod in return.

I focussed back ahead of me, my eyes glancing from left to right as I scanned the empty and occupied beds, searching out what had become a familiar head of silvery blond hair. As I got closer to the Nurse's office, I found the person I was looking for and felt my heart begin to thump hard in my chest.

Fleur lay on top of the bedsheets, with her eyes closed she looked almost serene as her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I came up beside the French girl's bed and couldn't stop myself from gasping as I took in the sight of the girl in front of me, her legs, lower torso and right arm covered in bandages. I fell into the chair beside the girl's bed as tears filled my eyes, "Fleur?" I asked quietly, hoping the girl would answer but not wanting to wake her.

After a few moments with no reply, I reached forward and took the girl's uninjured hand in my own, enjoying the warmth that radiated off of her skin. I leaned forward, and I rested my head on the girl's bed next to hers and breathed in her scent, I grimaced as the usual scent of vanilla was mixed with the odd smell of something burnt.

The smell was only slightly unnerving, so I decided to leave my head where it was and closed my eyes, focusing on the sound of Fleur's light breaths and the feel of her hand in mine.

"Are you okay?" I wondered aloud, not expecting an answer.

"She'll be fine," The non-committal voice of the Head nurse sounded quietly from somewhere nearby.

I opened my eyes and raised my head, fighting the blush that was creeping onto my cheeks from being found in such a position. "What happened to her?" I asked, being careful not to wake Fleur.

"Weren't you there to watch the Task?"

"I… I couldn't bring myself watch it," I said sadly as I looked to the injured girl.

"She was hit by the tail end of the Dragon's flames," Madam Pomfrey spoke in a softer tone, "Her injuries aren't too bad, although we did have to put her to sleep. The pain incurred from an injury by a Dragon's flames can be quite severe, even if the wounds are not so. Thankfully though, the intense pain dissipates within a few hours with the right treatment, although a dull burn will continue to annoy the victim for weeks after the injury is healed."

I nodded along with the nurse, thankful for the complete explanation of the injuries that Fleur had sustained, minus the various cuts and bruises that marred her beautiful figure. I looked around the Hospital Wing as I realized, with my worries alleviated, that Gabrielle wasn't sitting by her sister's side.

I quickly found the younger blond lying down on the bed beside her sister. Her were eyes closed and a line of drool ran down the pillow she was using as she slept soundly. I smiled at the cute face the girl was pulling beside her sister as she slept blissfully.

"We had to sedate that one," Madam Pomfrey said with a shake of her head, "Poor thing was hysterical, wouldn't listen to a word we were saying. Hopefully, a nice rest will help her calm down or at the very least, we hope that Fleur will be awake and able to calm the girl down herself."

I felt sorry for Gabrielle but couldn't help the little giggle that escaped my lips, "Of course she would react like that." I said with a small shake of my head before resting my head back on Fleur's bed, not wanting to leave the girl's side.

_**Fleur**_

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes, my mind, cloudy with fog, slowly began to start working as the raging fire I used to feel down to my bones had calmed and become nothing more than a minor nuisance. I looked to my right and smiled, _Of course, you never left, _I thought to myself as a smile spread across my lips at the sight of my younger sister.

I was drawn to my left by a surprising warmth as my mind continued to become clear, _I only got burned on my right arm… Didn't I?_"

I looked down at my left hand and, in the dull light of the Hospital Wing, took in the sight of another person's hand lying limply in my own. I cocked an eyebrow as my stomach filled with butterflies, "Are You?"I asked I followed the pale hand to dark robes covering a slender arm. My heart began to beat faster as a sea of bushy brown hair covered the girl's face and shoulders.

"Hermione?" I asked loudly, eliciting a quiet shush from somewhere in the large room.

The girl in question moved her head to the side sleepily, her eyes still closed as she remained asleep. My heart started to hammer in my chest. Hermione wassitting beside me, not only that she had stayed with me for so long that she had even fallen asleep by my side while holding my hand. I smiled as intense happiness overcame my body, and I went numb for a few moments. I tried not to read into what this might mean for the two but I couldn't help but get my hopes up.

I moved closer to the brunette by my side as I felt something begin to overtake me. I didn't stop moving until my face was mere millimeters from the brunettes. I closed my eyes as I closed the last little gap between myself and the love of my life. As our lips met in a sleepy kiss, tiny fireworks seemed to explode beneath my eyelids and I quickly pulled back a little.

"I love you," I whispered as I fell back to sleep, now closer to the girl I would no doubt be seeing in my dreams very soon.

**A.N. **Merry Christmas everyone! And isn't it great that I was finally able to get a chapter out? Sorry for the long wait, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

_**A.N **Just an edit, I called Luna a Hufflepuff like a moron ;P  
_

_**Fleur**_

I was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Hermione eating lunch, Gabrielle had gone off with a small group of other students that she had befriended since coming here after I had successfully calmed her down. We sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company while we ate a late breakfast when a slightly annoyed looking redhead approached us.

"Hermione, where were you yesterday?" Ron asked roughly.

I narrowed my eyes at the boy but kept quiet and waited for Hermione to respond, "I was with Fleur, I don't know if you noticed, but she got burned pretty badly by the Dragon yesterday."

"What about Harry? He's your best friend, yet you ignored his fight _and _celebration, to spend time with Fleur."

"Ron, I just fell asleep. And what about you? You've barely spoken two words to Harry in the last month, and now that he's made it through the first task, your back to being his friend?"

Ron looked down ashamedly for a moment but quickly recovered his glare, "Just remember to congratulate him," He grumbled before stalking off.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I can't believe him," She growled as she turned back to me.

"Just ignore him, it isn't worth getting angry about on such a lovely day," I said with a small smile as I gazed into Hermione's eyes. Hermione smiled back at me and quickly seemed to let it go as she rubbed at her neck, "Is your neck still giving you trouble?"

Hermione nodded, "I really shouldn't have slept on that chair, but what's done is done," Hermione said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey could have fixed it, though."

Hermione shrugged again, "Yeah, but I was hungry, and she seemed to have her hands full anyway."

"Hey Fleur, Hermione," Harry called out as he walked briskly towards us flanked by Ron and Neville.

"Good morning Harry, I heard you got your Golden Egg, congratulations."

"Yeah, Harry, good work," Hermione said with a smile, "Sorry I wasn't there last night. I was just checking on Fleur."

"… Why'd you do it, Fleur?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at me, "You know what I'm talking about. Why did you choose the Horntail?"

Hermione gasped from her spot opposite me, "You did what?"

I looked between the two Hogwarts students, unsure of how to answer the question, "I decided to help you, Harry, that's all."

"What do you mean, that's all!?" Harry's shout echoed throughout the Great Hall, gathering the attention of the rest of the students and few Professor's that were in the room.

"Look, it's not a big deal, I handled it. I wasn't about to let a kid face off against the most ferocious Dragon in the Trial."

"You could have died, what would you have done then?" Harry asked as Hermione gasped from her seat. I looked over to the brunette and felt my heart clench at the sight of the tears brimming in her eyes.

"I would've escaped," I spoke seriously as I leveled my eyes back on the angry boy I had protected, "I am quite knowledgeable in the art of Wizardry, Harry. Do not forget that my name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire, that means I am the best of the best that Beauxbatons academy has to offer. While we still have no idea how your name was drawn, let alone placed into the Goblet. The fact of the matter is that I was, and am still, much better equipped to handle the Horntail then you."

Harry shook his head, angrily, "_My_ name was chosen by the Goblet as well, that means something." Harry growled as his hormones began to control his thought process.

"Harry just calm down," Hermione spoke up, "Fleur was just helping you."

"I don't need her help," The boy snapped as his hand began to twitch.

I sighed in frustration as I stood up, "I am sorry you cannot see things from my point of view, Harry, but I chose to do what was right and quite possibly saved your life, even if you can't see it yourself…" I looked to Hermione pointedly, hoping she got the message that I wanted her to follow after me so we could be alone again, but she seemed to be far too distracted by Harry to notice.

"I will take my leave as not to escalate things any further and… I hope to see you again soon, Hermione." I took my leave as soon as I was finished talking, and over-heard Hermione start to admonish Harry for the way he was acting. The act left me feeling a little better about everything, but I did wonder how a day that had started so well could have so quickly come crashing down.

I wandered through Hogwarts Halls aimlessly as I allowed my mind to wander, an image of a sleeping Hermione came to my mind as I remembered what had transpired the night before. I raised a hand to my lips and pressed my fingers into the soft flesh, "I shouldn't have done that," I chastised myself.

"Shouldn't have done what?" I jumped as a young blond seemed to appear out of thin air beside me.

Wha- It's nothing. Who are you?" I asked.

"Luna, but a lot of people call me Looney Luna when they think I can't hear them," The blond said in an airy, seemingly uncaring voice.

"Oh, that's terrible. I'm Fleur. It's good to meet you."

The blonde laughed softly, "Of course I know who you are. Besides, we've already met once before." I raised a brow at the girl's statement. _When had we met before? _I asked myself, I racked my brain but was unable to find an answer. I turned to ask the Ravenclaw but quickly decided not too as to not appear rude and instead continued walking beside the girl. We settled into a rather uncomfortable silence as we walked, at least, it was uncomfortable for me, I'm sure Luna wasn't affected at all if her smile was anything to go by.

It wasn't long before we parted ways with a curt 'Bye' to one another, as I turned a corner I looked back down the corridor that Luna had disappeared down, _I kind of get why people call her Looney,_ I chuckled softly to myself, "But she seems sweet."

"Who does?" I jumped once again as a head a bushy brunette hair appeared before me.

"Hermione!" I took a deep breath to calm myself while Hermione giggled cutely before me, "Why does everyone keep sneaking up on me."

"Who seems sweet?" Hermione asked a little heatedly.

I was taken aback by her tone and couldn't help but wonder if she was feeling jealous, "It was Luna, a young Hufflepuff girl." Hermione frowned and looked down at her feet as she mumbled something under her breath, "What was that?" I asked with a raised brow, "I couldn't hear you."

Hermione quickly recovered her smile and looked back into my eyes, yet I could tell something was a little off, "It's nothing, I came after you so I could talk to you… About yesterday."

My heart leaped into my throat as I remembered kissing Hermione once again, could she have woken up during the kiss, maybe she was just acting fine earlier, and now she was going to let me have it. My mind continued to swirl with dark thoughts of Hermione yelling at me, calling me disgusting or a pervert or some other word that could tear me up inside.

Hermione sniffed, and I was brought out of my swirling mind to the sight of tears rolling down Hermione's pink cheeks. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Hermione's torso and pulled her body into mine. I pulled her as close as I could, trying desperately to comfort the younger girl as she suddenly began to cry in earnest. Her shoulders shaking as her sobs, muffled in my chest, shook me to my core.

"Everything's okay," I whispered over and over again like a mantra hoping that my words would somehow calm the distraught girl down.

We were stood in the same position for a while; various students passed by, keeping a respectful distance as they whispered amongst themselves about many theories about what might have been going on.

As Hermione slowly calmed down, I reluctantly pulled away so I could look her in the eyes, "Should we go somewhere else? It's a little… Public here." I said as I nodded towards a small group of Slytherins that stood sneering in our direction.

Hermione nodded, and we moved off wordlessly, I walked Hermione out of the Castle as she refused to let go of me, and led her to the large carriage that I was currently living in. Very few of my fellow Beauxbatons' students were in the carriage and the few that were new enough to keep quiet and leave Hermione and me alone.

I sat down on my bed, pulling Hermione with me, we sat side-by-side and, despite the reason we had come to this position, I couldn't help but feel happy that I could be so close to the younger girl.

I ran a comforting hand up and down Hermione's arm as I pulled her close, "Are you ready to talk?"

Hermione nodded as she looked at me, "It's just, Harry told me what Hagrid had told him… And what Madame Maxime undoubtedly told you about the Horntail." Hermione clenched her fists, "And when Harry said that you could have died, I just… I don't know."

Hermione's breathing became haggard, and I could tell she was on the verge of crying once again; I quickly shushed her, retightening my hold around the brunette's abdomen. "Don't worry about that. I had it handled."

Hermione pulled away from me and stared at me with narrowed eyes, "I watched as that fire drew closer to you and watched you practically get carried out of the Arena, how can you say you had a handle on it… You almost Died!"

"Hermione I-"

"Don't!" Hermione snapped, she rose to her feet and glared at me, "You were seconds away from death, and you know it. Please…" Her face softened, and she looked upset as she continued, "Just stop saying that it was nothing. Stop saying that you had it handled and accept the fact that you almost didn't."

I looked down into my lap and unclenched my fists that I hadn't realized I had clenched and breathed out a defeated sigh, "You are right. Hermione," I grabbed the brunette's hands and pulled her down into my lap, Hermione tensed but made no move to leave. I rested my head on her shoulder as I continued to speak, "I was scared… Terrified, all I could think about was my family… My friends, I did not think I would make it out alive. I thought of all the things I still needed to do, the things I… Still needed to say…" I trailed off as my cheeks grew warm, knowing that I was treading a very fine line.

We sat in silence for a few moments until Hermione finally moved off of my lap and back onto the bed beside me, I missed the warmth but didn't say anything or make a noise of any kind as I didn't want to overstep any more than I already had. The warmth wasn't gone for long, however, as Hermione took my hand into her lap and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Well, you still have time, a lot of time, just… Promise me that you'll be more careful in the following tasks I… Don't want to lose you."

My heart thumped at Hermione's choice of words, and I couldn't help but think she had chosen those words for a reason; she was as smart as they come after all.

"Hermione I…" I started hesitantly, but before I could say anything more, the door to my room burst open and Gabrielle came barging in. Hermione jumped at the sudden intrusion and quickly let go of my hand as Gabrielle wrapped her arms around the Gryffindor.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as she tentatively wrapped her arms around Gabrielle.

"I heard you were crying," Gabi said sadly, "I always feel better with a hug, so I came to give you one."

Hermione chuckled softly, "Well, thank you, Gabrielle, I do feel much better," Gabrielle pulled away and grinned happily at both Hermione and myself. "Well… I should go, I need to… Study." Hermione said as her cheeks grew pink.

"Aww, but I just got here," Gabrielle whined as she jumped onto Hermione's lap and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck once again.

"Come on, Gabi, Hermione's a busy girl," I said sadly, not wanting Hermione to go.

"Fine… But we'll be sitting together at dinner tonight," Gabrielle all but demanded of the Gryffindor, causing Hermione to laugh once again.

"Okay, I'll see you later tonight then," Hermione said as she ruffled Gabrielle's hair. "I'll see you there, Fleur."

I smiled, "Yeah, I can't wait," Hermione grinned before leaving the room, "I really can't," I said quietly with a sigh as Hermione's footfalls grew distant.

Gabi grabbed my hand, "Is Hermione really okay?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, she is, we had a good talk about some things."

Gabrielle grew ecstatic as she jumped up and down beside me, "Does this mean you?"

I shook my head with a sad smile, "We weren't talking about _that._"

_**Hermione**_

I stood outside the large blue carriage, my heart pounding, my breathing rapid, and my cheeks flushing with heat. Why did I say it like that? I know I would be upset if Fleur had died during the Trial, but the way I said it…

My eyes widened as I realized that the emotion that had been growing within me over the last few months was no longer ignorable, "I'm in love with her," I whispered into the wind. I started on my way back towards the Castle, my thoughts swirling as I practically stumbled through the halls and up to Gryffindor tower.

"There you are, Hermione," Ginny's voice brought me slightly out of my daze, "Where have you been."

"I love her," I spoke quietly.

"WHAT!?" Ginny's scream brought me entirely out of my daze, and by the look on her face, I was sure she had heard me. I glanced around the Common Room and noticed we had garnered quite a lot of attention from the other Gryffindor's around us.

"Just. Come with me, Ginny?" I pleaded, hoping the girl followed me without protest and without any more screams of surprise. Thankfully she followed behind me quickly and quietly, and before long, we were sitting across from each other in my shared room.

"Now, did I hear you correctly back there?" Ginny asked, not wasting any more time.

I hesitated for a long moment, unable to look the girl in the eye out of fear, "You did," My voice was barely above a whisper, but I was sure Ginny had heard me anyway.

I held my breath as silence permeated the room. I risked a glance at the silent redhead who was sitting at my desk. Much to my surprise, she had an expectant, impatient look on her face, "Don't leave me in suspense, who is it?" Ginny asked excitedly.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, "You mean you're okay with this?" I asked hesitantly, worried that by simply asking the question, it would somehow send Ginny into a tirade of abuse.

"Okay with what? You liking another girl?"

"Yeah," I said with a slight nod.

Ginny closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead, "That's right, you're a muggle-born. I keep forgetting that muggles aren't as accepting. But yes, believe me, I am definitely okay with you being gay, Hermione."

I released a sigh of relief as I relaxed into a more comfortable sitting position, "Thank god, I was so worried that you would be against it… After the first time you asked me about Fleur and Harry, and you said all those things about Harry and Fleur being together, it felt like you were telling me that Fleur and I couldn't be together… Because we're both girls."

Ginny moved over to sit next to me on my bed and put her arm around my shoulders comfortingly, "I'm not, and I dare say you'd be hard-pressed to find a Witch or Wizard that was outright against it. And… I'm sorry about that but, I wasn't just going to assume that you were gay." I smiled appreciatively at the younger girl who, very quickly, jumped away with a more mischievous smile, "Now, no more stalling, who is it?"

I was silent for a long moment, wrenching my hands in my lap nervously, still worried that somehow, my mentioning her name would break whatever spell had forced Ginny to be so accepting. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting against my nerves and butterflies currently nesting in the pit of my stomach.

"It's Fleur," I spoke so quietly I was sure Ginny hadn't heard me yet I kept quiet, only taking a quick glance in her direction after she had been silent for quite some time. She continued to stare at me with an expectant look in her face.

"Well?" Ginny prompted.

"It's Fleur," I spoke louder, and by the gasp that emanated from the girl's mouth, I resolved she must have heard me this time.

"Really?" She asked with a perplexed look on her face.

I frowned a little, "Is that bad?" I asked, miffed by the redhead's reaction.

"No," Ginny said quickly with a reassuring smile, "Not at all, I just. I'm wondering how I didn't notice."

"Well, I was trying to ignore it for quite some time," I admitted, "I may have been slightly opposed to the idea to begin with, although I'm not really sure why. Now that I've said it out loud, I feel, somehow better. It's a strange kind of feeling, feeling better when you didn't actually realize you were feeling bad to begin with."

"So… Fleur, huh." Ginny spoke with a suggestive lilt in her voice, "She is quite the beauty." My face grew hot as I imagined Fleur, "And you clearly think so too," Ginny said with a giggle.

"Well," I hesitated for a long moment, "She is," I said with a small smile as I fell back on my bed, laying down happily as I thought about Fleur and basked in Ginny's acceptance. Ginny was quick to jump onto me, straddling my waist as she pushed down on my shoulders. I laughed a little at the younger girls' antics, "What are you doing, Gin?"

Before the redhead could answer, however, the door to my room opened, and a tall brunette girl walked in with a smile on her face, she gasped when she saw the compromising position Ginny and I were laying in.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," the brunette said as she looked around nervously, a blush slowly appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, don't worry, Fay, you're not interrupting anything," I said as I pushed Ginny away from me. "Ginny and I were just messing around."

"Okay then… Harry's looking for you by the way. He's in the Common Room waiting for me to check if you were up here."

"Okay, thanks Fay," I smiled appreciatively at the other girl who, kind of awkwardly, smiled back at me before heading deeper into our room.

Ginny left with me, glancing back into my room, worriedly, "What's wrong, Gin?"

"It's nothing," The redhead sputtered, "I'll leave you to Harry."

Ginny hurried off by herself, and I wondered just what was going through her head, I quickly put the thought to one side, instead deciding to focus on Harry. I reached the Common Room rather soon after Ginny had hurried off and looked around, searching Harry out. I found him standing, leaning against the far wall with Ron standing in front of him.

I quickly joined the two of them, a stern look quickly forming on my face as I remembered our earlier interaction.

"What do you want?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too harsh, but by the look on Ron's face, I did not succeed.

"What's with the tone?" Ron asked angrily.

I rolled my eyes at the boy, "Just tell me what's going on, Harry."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly, "I need to apologize." I raised a brow expectantly as I waited for him to continue, "I just feel so… Inferior in this whole Tournament, and it's been weighing on me."

I felt sympathy for my friend but was still annoyed that he had acted so callously towards Fleur, "Then go apologize," I stated flatly, "What do you need me for?"

Harry was silent for a long moment as he stared at me with a confused look, "I'm apologizing to you?" Harry asked.

I started to glare at the brunette, "Are you daft?" I asked as I grew more frustrated with the two boys in front of me, "I'm not the one that needs an apology."

Harry looked down at his shoes, "Well… Of course, I know that. It's just…"

"Just what?" I pushed harder, but Harry stood silently, answering with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "Pride," I answered for him, before turning and leaving the two alone, grumbling frustratedly to myself as I left the Gryffindor Common Room.


End file.
